Letter of faith
by ArikoUzumaki
Summary: A young boy wakes up in a forest, remembering nothing. A letter is delivered to the Keyblade master and his friends. Several things and people that were thought to be lost have resurfaced again, and nothing is what it seems anymore.
1. Prologue

Bright cerulean eyes opened to look up at a canopy of tree branches. Slowly the head, then the rest of the body, rose. Those blue eyes looked all around, questioning, innocent. A hand ran through sandy blond hair. Another hand ran over a tan jacket with red designs, a black t-shirt, and pants that were black until the knee then the same tan as the jacket. A pair of black sneakers completed the outfit.

Slowly the boy stood up, leaning on a nearby tree trunk for support. He looked all around. He saw nothing but trees, trees, and high rock walls surrounding the trees. A ways behind him there was a gate and a huge mansion behind the gate.

Slowly walking away from the tree, the boy walk into a clearing a few feet in front of him. He looked around once more, a worried look on his face. Taking a deep breathe, he whispered, "Hello?"

He jumped at the sound of his own voice. Tried again, louder this time. "Hello? Is anyone there? Hey!"

The only response was a ruckus in the treetops above and a ton of leaves falling on his head.

"That's nice," he muttered, shaking the leaves off. Turning, he examined the clearing, this time taking in every little detail.

Trees. High rock walls. Gate and mansion behind him. Something medium-sized and brown where he woke up. Something white beside it.

Curious, he walked over to the brown thing. Getting closer, he saw it was a pack of some kind. He knelt to look inside it. A book, pen and pencil, shells, several popsicle sticks, some munny, and a folded black square. He was about to take the book and black square out when his eyes were drawn to the piece of white paper lying to the side of the pack.

Hesitating, not being able to read the letters printed on top of the letter, he slowly picked it up. Flipping it over, he saw that the only writing was on top, and that the paper could be unfolded. The boy bit his lip, wondering if he should open it and read it. It might even be meant for him.

Deciding suddenly, he unfolded the letter and quickly read the first couple of lines.

_If you're finally reading this ----- then that means you've woken up. That's good-I was worried that I might've messed something up and you would never wake up._

Huh? the boy thought. They would've messed up what?

_I'm willing to bet it took you several minutes to open this letter. You probably went exploring first, or wondered if you should even open this. Always the adventures yet cautious one -----._

Adventures? Cautious? Did this person know him?

_Anyway, you're in Twilight Town's forest. You won't remember this place, not for a while yet. It's too dangerous for you to have your memories at the moment. It would mess everything up, plus it would probably destroy you. But don't worry-I'll let you get them back soon -----._

The boy sucked in a breath. His memories! He couldn't remember anything-not who he was, why he was here, how old he was, nothing!

And apparently this person writing the letter was the cause of it all!

_Please don't be angry-it's for your own good. But if you really want to know the truth, you need to stay ignorant for a little longer. In order to learn the truth, and eventually regain your memories, you need to leave this place._

Wait- they were gonna tell him how to get his memories back? Yes! Maybe then he could figure out who this person was. And who he was.

_You need to find a boy named Riku. He lives on the Destiny Islands with several of his friends who don't know you. Well, they shouldn't know you unless he told them about you. But in order to find him you must leave this forest. _

_To do that, just imagine you are somewhere else. Close your eyes and concentrate on being somewhere else. It helps if you can imagine the type of world you want to get to. Like an island, a place you can fly, or somewhere where there are lots of mazes. Little things like that will determine where you end up, -----._

A place you could fly? And what was that last word?

_If you can't read the word-the name, really- on the front of this letter, don't worry. It's your name. Sooner or later you'll be able to read it, or you'll find Riku first and he'll tell you how to say it. I thought about whether I should write your name so blatantly on the letter, incase it caused you to remember, but I took that chance. I could only think how horrible it would be to wander the worlds without event a name._

His name? -----. What did it say? He hoped that he would be able to read his name, and soon.

_Well, I think that's everything I needed to tell you. From now on, you're on your own. Mostly. You will probably find people on other worlds who are willing to help you on your journey. Or maybe you'll meet a few who still remember you. In any case, be very careful, ----. That's the last piece of advice I can give you. My time is running short-I must leave very soon to go rescue her._

_I hope I didn't make a mistake in doing this. But remember this last thing ----- - you are somebody. Somebody special. And you have a heart._

_Namine_

The letter ended. The boy was very, very confused. Why did they-Namine- say he had a heart? Everyone had a heart, right? And why would she make a mistake in doing this-whatever she did?

It was all so confusing. He refolded the letter and stuck it in the pack. Then he picked it up and strung it over one shoulder. Taking one last look about him, he closed his eyes and concentrated.

Several moments late there was nothing in the forest except the birds in the canopy.


	2. Chapter 1

_Riku, Sora, Kairi._

_I know that Organization XIII is gone and Kingdom Hearts is destroyed but true peace has not yet been established. The Heartless still roam around the worlds devouring hearts. Darkness is still finding its way into many human's hearts and turning them into more Heartless. We need the help of the Keyblade and the Heart Princesses to stop this threat._

_As it is, there are other things to deal with too. I have received information from a trusted friend that two members of Organization XIII are still alive. I cannot tell you who they are yet, or why they are still alive. But don't worry- I am tracking one of them down while the other will visit my castle in about a week. I want all three of you to meet them both, because they play important roles in restoring the worlds to what they once were._

_This may seem unnecessary at the moment but I think that you need to know these things. Sora and Riku, you both can wield the Keyblade. Kairi, you are one of the Heart Princesses. The worlds need all three of you to restore the light before it is too late, and the past repeats itself once more._

_The King, Mickey_

"Wow," Sora said after reading the letter. "I thought that if we destroyed Kingdom Hearts the worlds would be fine."

"Not so simple, Sora. Like the King said, there are still two Organization members still alive. They could be messing up what we fixed." Riku leaned on Sora's shoulder, studying the note.

"But why would Mickey tell us that two members are still alive?" Kairi looked worried. "I mean, if he wants us to get rid of them why would he want us to meet them?"

Riku grabbed the letter from Sora. "The question is more like who in the world the two people could be. As far as I know, all the members were destroyed, either at Castle Oblivion or by us personally." He looked thoughtful.

"Well, I'm gonna go look for shells on the beach. Want to come with Sora?" Kairi asked, changing the subject completely.

"Sure," Sora replied, feeling, just like Kairi, that Riku needed some alone time to digest the letter.

They left, leaving Riku alone. "Hmmm….I wonder if the King thinks that because Organization members are still alive that Xenohart is too…" He trailed off, looking up at the sky. "I wonder…"

He sighed, and crammed the letter into his pocket. "Who in the world is still here from the Organization? And what do they want?

* * *

There was a small explosion, and the young blond haired boy reappeared. He looked around, and seemed disappointed.

"Not where I want to be," he muttered, kicking a rock. He was surrounded by tall grass ledges covered in flowers. He sighed, and then started walking down the maze.

"This is what, the tenth world I've been to, and still no sign of that Riku person I'm supposed to find." He glared at a gate he passed, and continued through the arch to find himself in a large clearing.

"At least now I can read that name." He walked over to a corner and sat down. "My name…" Pulling off his pack, he looked through it for the umpteenth time since he left Twilight Town. "Are these things mine?"

He had gone through everything in the pack, and none of it seemed familiar, except for a blue and yellow shell. The book was empty, and the black clothe turned out to be a large cloak. He had the feeling that the cloak wasn't his; it was made for a thinner person and looked…feminine somehow.

Taking out the book, he flipped through it. "What am I gonna do if I never find Riku?" The letter fell out, and another piece of paper he had never seen before. Surprised, he carefully reached over and picked it up. On the top of the letter the word _Riku_ was printed.

"Huh." The handwriting was the same as his letter; did Namine want him to give Riku this letter? Maybe he should open it, just in case…

"Nah, I shouldn't. It's not mine, I shouldn't read it." Still, what if the note told Riku to kill him or something?

"No, I have to trust Namine. She promised me the truth and my memories if I found Riku. I have to trust her." Feeling better, he re-packed everything and stood up. "I really should stop talking out loud. Someone might hear me. But then I feel so lonely…"

Sighing, looking around once more with those blue eyes that seemed so innocent and world weary at the same time, the boy whispered something to himself. Smiling, he closed his eyes. Within seconds he was gone again.

* * *

The man almost growled as the stack of papers fell over the third time. "Dammit Vexen, can't you make your workspace a little more tidy?"

Gathering the papers and carefully stacking them on the table _again_ he turned back to the book in front of him. Resting his chin on a palm he flipped through several pages with the other hand.

"What happened to all the other Replicas? He couldn't have gotten rid of all of them, could he? Maybe he hid them…or Saix got rid of them." Neither option looked very promising. He sighed and closed the book, placing it beside him on a pile of books he had already gone through. On his other side was a large stack he had yet to go through.

"Jeez…why did I have to be that guy's Nobody?" He rested his head on his arms, closing his eyes. "At least this way I can help the King prevent _that_ from happening again."

Suddenly getting up, he went to stand on front of a window. "Hopefully…And maybe clean this whole mess up while we're at it."

The man stood in front of the window for a long time, his dark blue eyes analyzing the bleak surroundings.


	3. Chapter 2

The boy with cerulean eyes and blond hair appeared on a beach. He looked around, then his whole face lit up with a smile.

"Yes!" he yelled, jumping up. He pack slid off his shoulder and onto the sand. "Finally-a beach! Maybe now I can find him!"

He danced around for a few more moments then calmed down. He reached over and grabbed his bag. Looking around, he studied the beach he had just landed on.

A few feet away sand, shells, and small rocks were being pushed around the incoming waves. Over to his far left there was a bridge connecting a small island to the larger one. One it was a palm tree with a star-shaped yellow fruit hanging off it. A little ways behind the bridge there was what looked like a cave. Closer inspection revealed that it was actually a house.

"Huh, wonder what that fruit is," the boy murmured. He looked around some more. Behind him, on a raised piece of land, was a bunch of little kids playing with a ball. Against the rock wall they were playing by were a few more houses. A few feet past the house was a small cave. No one went near it.

Taking one last glance around him, the boy slowly walked up to the edge of the raised platform. An adult watching the kids noticed him first.

He called out, "Hey buddy, you lost?" All the other people looked at him now. The blond boy felt embarrassed and nervous. And, he admitted silently, a little scared. What if they decided they didn't like him and tried to get rid of him?

He gulped, the quickly shot out, "I'm looking for a boy that might live here. Is this the Destiny Islands?"

A couple of the kids giggled at him. The adult grinned. "Sure is young man. Who're looking for?"

"Uh, well, his name is Riku. We're, um, friends. I have a letter from someone else to give to him. It's really important." He wasn't sure if that was a lie or not. The letter was important, and Namine did say Riku knew him at some point. Hopefully these people wouldn't ask who he was, or what the letter said.

"Riku? Oh, the lives over there, past the tiny island there. He and his friends have been waiting for a message from someone called 'The King'. He might not there though-Sora and Kairi left to go somewhere. He probably went with." The kids went back to playing and the adult leaned back on a rock.

The boy felt a bubble grow in him. Riku really was here! Now I can finally discover the truth about why I remember nothing, he thought. Now I can get on with my life again.

"Thank you so much mister," he said, not knowing that a huge goofy grin covered his face. The older man chuckled, and waved him away.

"Glad to be of service. Now go on and deliver that letter of yours, got it?"

"Yessir." The boy took off down the beach, one arm clutching his bag. When he reached the bridge he stopped, chest heaving. Nine of the kids could see him now, and the only thing he could see was the house in front of him. Slowly he reached into the bag and pulled out Riku's letter.

What should he say? "Hey, Namine wanted me to give you this letter. I don't know why, plus I don't have any memories of who I am. But maybe you can help me anyway."

He shook his head. No! That wouldn't do. Okay, he had to calm down. Alright, just go up to the door and ask for Riku. Then give him the letter and ask him if he'll help return my memories. Or at the very least tell him who he was.

Okay. Put the pack back on. Fix hair and clothes. Calm down. Now, just walk up to the door. Good job, you're almost there. Now just raise your hand, the empty one, and knock. Alright. So far so good. Now just wait for an answer. And, of course, remain calm. Breathe in, breathe out.

The door opened to reveal an older silver haired boy with blue eyes.

* * *

Riku lay on his bed. Sora and Kairi had already left to go see the King. Any other day he would have gone with, but today he just didn't feel up to it. He felt that for some reason he had to stay at Destiny Islands today. Like there was someone coming he needed to wait for.

He sighed and turned to look at the letter next to him on his bed. King Mickey's letter.

"Dang it, Mickey, why can't you just shout the truth out for once?" Riku growled out before knocking the letter of the bed. "Alright, two Organization XIII members are still alive. What am I supposed to do about it?"

Glaring at the fallen piece of paper, he fell back onto the bed, his anger suddenly gone. That had been happening a lot, ever since he defeated Xenohart. Riku stared at the ceiling, listening to the kids cry and shout as they played outside. He listened to the waves come in, move out, swishing away his pent-up feelings. Lately he had been feeling that something was missing from his life. That he had forgotten something really important.

The sounds of playing outside suddenly stopped. Riku snorted-if those kids kicked the ball into the cave again he wouldn't get it. They would have to retrieve to themselves or wait for Sora and Kairi to come back. He just wanted to lay there and think.

Man, did he do that a lot now. Before, all he thought about was how to spend the day with his friends. Now thoughts of Heartless and the ever present fight between the darkness and the light snuck in. It got really annoying sometimes. Once it pissed him off so much he left the islands, hunted down some Heartless, and destroyed them. Sora and Kairi had been surprised, and worried, but left him be. They knew he had changed. They all had changed when Sora became the new Keyblade master.

Riku closed his eyes. "I really wish things could go back to the way they were before." But he knew they couldn't. Not anymore. Nothing could be normal again, not after everything he had seen and done.

Sounds of playing began again outside, and Riku could faintly hear someone running over to the house. Sure enough, a few minutes later there were a few hesitant knocks at the door.

"I am so not getting their ball again," Riku muttered as he got up from the bed. Pausing for a moment, he slowly bent over and picked up the letter on the floor. Carefully refolding it, he stuck it in his pocket as he headed for the front door.

"If you lost your ball again you'll have to wait till Sora gets back to get it," Riku called out as he opened the door. A boy stood there, not one of the residents of the island. He had blond-brown hair, a sand-like color, with cerulean eyes that seemed so innocent as they stared at him.

Riku just stood there, not making a sound. He couldn't believe it. He had seen this boy disappear. Hell, Riku was the one who capture him and made him disappear! This had to be a dream-he was not supposed to exist.

The boy cleared his throat. One of his hands held up a piece of white paper with Riku's name printed on the front. He glanced around nervously before finally speaking.

"You're…Riku, right? I'm supposed to give you this, um, letter. It's from Namine." He stood there and rocked back on his heels. "Do you know who I am?"

Riku slowly reached out and took the letter, his eyes never leaving the boy in front of him. He cleared his throat, twice, and finally found his voice.

"Roxas? What are you doing here?"


	4. Chapter 3

"I'm sorry, Sora, Kairi, but you can't meet the Organization member today. He's not here." King Mickey was doing his best to explain the time differences between his world and Sora's. "I meant about a week here, not a week Destiny Island time. In your world time goes a little faster than it does here."

Sora sighed. "Can you at least tell us who is coming later? What if it's someone that wants to fight me?" Kairi looked just as worried as Sora as they stood in front of the King in his castle. They had come to see if they could meet the two surviving Organization members, but so far, nothing.

Mickey shook his head. "Sorry, but no. You wouldn't know either one, and it might create a ruckus if it got out that the two are still alive." He turned and walked into the castle. "You both are more than welcome to look at the books and letters he sent me, though. Some of it might really interest you."

Kairi looked at Sora. He gave a helpless shrug. "Sure King Mickey, we'll look at the books and stuff he gave you. What are they about anyway?"

They couldn't see it, but Mickey relaxed visibly when Sora changed the subject. He told them the basics of the books, which were about Heartless and Nobodies. Leading them into the room with the member's packages to him, Mickey heaved a silent sigh and look out one of the window.

_I hope he can find Riku in time, and keeps everything under lock for now. Please, hurry up and find that research we need quickly!_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"Roxas?" Riku asked for the third time. He was still staring at him, not believing his eyes. "Namine sent you?"

"Yeah, well, not really, but…" Roxas trailed off, looking at the sand on the ground. "I woke up in Twilight Town's forest, and there was a letter addressed to me, though I couldn't read my name at first. She told me to find you cause apparently you can help me find out the truth. And help me recover me lost memories."

Riku shook his head once, twice. He looked at the letter in his hand. _Riku._ It was her handwriting, all right. He looked for anyone watching them, then grabbed Roxas and pulled him into the house.

"Sorry, but the less people that see you the better," he explained and he closed that door. "It's a little hard to explain, but let's just say you and someone else on this island look similar."

"Oh." Roxas wasn't paying attention; he was looking around the house. His eyes never stayed on one object for more than five seconds, and nothing escaped his gaze. Riku couldn't help but smile-Roxas was like a little baby, fascinated by everything.

"Sit down," he said, pushing the still gaping boy into a chair. Riku pulled out the King's letter and placed it on the table. Roxas looked at it curiously.

"Can I read that?" he asked Riku. He shrugged, and Roxas picked up the letter. Riku then turned to the letter in his own hand. Unfolding it, he sped through the relatively short note.

_Riku, I'm sorry, but I had to save Roxas. By the time you found him it was too late. If he had joined with Sora it would have destroyed them both. I took Sora's memories, though, and locked away all of Roxas's. It would hurt him so badly if he remembered everything now._

_I know this doesn't make much sense, but please trust me, Riku. What I'm doing now may not make sense but trust me-later on, everything will make sense. I promise. For now, just keep Roxas safe, please, and try not to remind him too much of his previous life._

_Namine_

_P.S: Zemnas lied about a lot more than just Kingdom Hearts. Don't tell Roxas that he's a Nobody. Because, actually, there is no such thing as a Nobody, other than Zemnas._

Riku was absolutely puzzled now. No such thing as a Nobody? What did that mean?

Roxas's voice brought Riku back to the present. "Hey, who's King Mickey? And what are Heartless? And who are Sora and Kairi? Can I meet them? What's a Keyblade?"

Riku laughed-he couldn't help it. The look Roxas had on his face, like a kid begging for candy. Still laughing, he stood up and went to his bedroom to grab his bag from the foot of his bed.

"King Mickey's a friend of mine. He helped me out a lot before. Heartless are beings that have no hearts and collect them. Sora and Kairi live here, with me, and we're all friends. You can meet them later. A Keyblade is just what it says-a blade shaped like a key. It's the only thing can truly destroy a Heartless." He took a deep breathe, winded from his long speech. "Anything else?"

Roxas looked at him, then the letter, then his bag. "No, not really. Are we going somewhere now?" he asked, seeing the bag in Riku's hand. "And how do Heartless have no hearts yet collect them? How do you lose your heart anyway?"

Riku pulled him up. "Yeah, confusing, I know, but I also know someone who can explain everything better than I can. We're going to see my dear friend King Mickey."

"Really?" Roxas looked excited. "How are we gonna get to where he's at?"

"Same way you got here, Roxas. Close your eyes and concentrate. Outside, mind you. Don't let go of my arm, or you'll end up somewhere else than where we're heading!"

"Alright!" Roxas grabbed Riku's arm, determined not to let go. This was it! He could finally learn about himself and why his memories where gone. Now he could begin living again. "Wait, where are we going?"

Riku grinned at the boy beside him. "To Disney Castle, home of King Mickey and his loyal followers!" He closed his eyes, concentrated, and soon both boys were gone.

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Roxas opened his eyes slowly. He saw tall blue stone walls, a fountain filled with water, a huge garden, cobbled pathways leading to several buildings surrounding him and Riku-he couldn't stop staring at the home of King Mickey and his loyal followers.

"Wow," he whispered. "It's so…grand, and huge, and amazing, and, and…"

Riku grinned and laughed. "Takes some time to get used to, eh? Come on, this way. Hopefully we'll find someone who can lead us to the King, or meet him himself." He led Roxas down one of the cobbled paths and into a fairly large hall with a throne at one end.

"Now if I were a three-foot king and Keyblade master where would I be?" Riku mused, looking around. Roxas couldn't tear his eyes from the paintings on the walls and the tables covered in flower-filled vases. That is, of course, until a white duck came blundering into the room, carrying what looked like a magic wand.

"Who's trespassing in King Mickey's castle? Do you have an appointment or are you just lost? Cause if you are, get lost! King Mickey is busy right now-he has two very important guests over at the moment!" The duck heaved in a huge breathe before finally looking at the two boys standing in front of him.

"It's good to see you again Donald. I take it Sora and Kairi are with the King at the moment? Can you tell him I think I located the lost surviving member of Organization XIII?" Riku grinned at Roxas, who was staring at the now silent duck. He blinked, then turned to Riku.

"Did that duck really just talk? Am I dreaming?"

"No, you're not dreaming. Donald?" Riku turned back to the duck. He jumped and quickly sped out of the hall, yelling, "Of course Riku! Hold on a second, I'll find the King for ya!"

Leading the confused and still staring Roxas to a couple of nearby chairs, Riku sat him down. "That was Donald Duck. He is King Mickey's magician, and is pretty good with magic. He'll get the King for us, don't worry."

Roxas sat back, his poor overloaded mind processing everything he had heard and seen. "So…will this King Mickey help return my memory? Is he my friend? Are…are you my friend, Riku? Did I know you before? You seem familiar, but I don't know you." He scrunched up his face, and bit his lip. "Are you really gonna help me? I know I can trust Namine, she told me my name and how to find you, but can I trust you, Riku?

Riku looked at the young boy sitting next to him. Man, he thought. That must be awful, just waking up in the middle of nowhere with no memories at all, only a letter telling you to find a complete stranger you don't know. "Roxas, I'll tell you the truth: I don't know if you will ever get your memories back, but I am going to try to help you. At the moment it's going to be a bit hard because I don't know everything that's going on at the moment. That's why I brought you here, to meet King Mickey. He'll know what to do."

Just as Riku finished Donald rushed back into the hall. "The King will see you now in the second story library!"

Riku nodded. "Come on, Roxas. Let's find out some answers."

Roxas stared at the outstretched hand, then at the white duck. Slowly, he reached out and took it. "Answers. That sounds good." Riku smiled and followed Donald up the stairs to the library, where hopefully all the answers they needed were waiting.


	5. Chapter 4

Sora and Kairi were still going through the letters King Mickey had received from the Organization member when Donald came running into the room.

"K-King Mickey! Riku just arrived, with a, with a young boy in the courtyard. He says that the kid might be the other missing Organization member!" Donald was sucking in air, having just run from the first story throne room to find Mickey in the library. His cap was askew, and his clothes were rumpled.

Sora and Kairi looked up. King Mickey flew out of his chair and out the door, yelling, "Sora! Kairi! Wait here! Donald, go find Riku before they both leave!" Donald shot out the door after him, leaving Sora and Kairi in a complete state of confusion.

"Uh…what in the world just happened?"

* * *

Riku and Roxas followed Donald up the stairs, down a very long hallway, and past a corridor filled with windows looking out over the castle. Roxas was gaping at everything he saw when they finally entered a book-filled room. King Mickey was sitting at a table just to their left, panting and clutching at a black book.

"Riku…how in the world did you find him?" Mickey got up and walked around Roxas, examining him from every angle. Roxas followed his every movement, obviously amazed by three foot mouse who was king of this castle.

"Well?" Mickey asked again. He then noticed Donald still lingering in the doorway. "Oh, Donald, sorry. Could you please send a letter, as soon as you can, to Castle Oblivion? Please tell him that we found the boy and that he needs to come here as soon as possible."

Donald nodded and left. King Mickey ushered the two boys into chairs, then took a seat across from them. "Now, may I assume that you are Roxas?"

Roxas looked surprised, and worried, as he tried to answer. He managed to speak on his fourth try. "Yes…yes sir, I'm Roxas. And you are, you are King Mickey, right? Riku said you where friends with him and you would help me get my memory back so I came here to meet you. You can help me, can't you? I, um, really want to get my memory back." He sat back, biting his lip.

Riku looked at the King. "He doesn't remember anything from before. Namine gave him a letter to give to me. It basically said he has no memories and that he needs our help to-to recover them." He stumbled slightly, not wanting to tell Roxas that they might not let him regain his memories.

Mickey sat there, perplexed. "Roxas, how did you come to meet Riku? And why?" He spoke gently, trying not to scare the child-like boy in front of him. There was a certain fragile-ness about Roxas that warned others to watch their words around him.

Roxas fidgeted, not looking at either person. "I woke up, in Twilight Town, its forest, and there was a letter. I couldn't read the name on front at first but I could later, when I started jumping around the worlds looking for Riku. The letter, it said to find Riku cause he would help me find the, the truth, and my memories. It was signed Namine. I didn't have anything else to go by, so I decided to do what the letter asked."

He shifted in his seat, then blurted out, "There was a bag too, and a book and shells and a cloak in it. I don't think the cloak is mine but sometimes when I looked at the book I can see letters. I can't read them but I know they're there, and I'm scared that someday I'll be able to read them. I want to know what they say but I don't want to at the same time." He finally fell silent, upset and confused.

Mickey and Riku exchanged looks. Riku tried to calm down the panicking boy. "Roxas, the book might be your old journal or something. You probably just forgot how to read it. I bet it's just full of things you did before, like playing games with your friends and eat ice cream on the beach."

The King nodded. "Yes, that is most likely so, Roxas. You have nothing to worry about. We'll help get your memories back, and help you to return to your old life." His stomach churned with the lie he had to tell the boy; there was no way Roxas could return to his previous life now. "May I please see the letter Namine wrote you?"

"Sure." Reassured, Roxas pulled out the letter and gave it to Mickey. He then looked all around him, staring at the masses of books in the room. Several golden books caught his eye, and he didn't notice the quiet talk between the King and Riku.

"King Mickey, I don't think we're supposed to help retrieve Roxas's memory." Riku glanced at the other boy, worried.

"I know. At the moment we cannot allow him to remember anything. Perhaps later we can let him, but right now I believe we should allow him to remain ignorant of his past." Mickey looked and spoke a lot calmer than he felt. Inside, he was worried sick.

_Come on, hurry up and find that research!_

Riku clenched his fists, nodded. "At all costs. It would probably hurt him badly, knowing he is one of the two left over. Knowing that all the others are gone forever." He fell silent, thinking. "Might he still be able to use…that?"

Mickey frowned, considering the though. "I'm not too sure at the moment. Best we keep him away from Heartless for now. And Sora and Kairi, as well-they might cause him to remember something. I suggest that for now we keep him here, at the castle, until the other member can meet him."

Riku sat there, watching Roxas. He was still staring at the books. Reaching over, he tapped the boy's blond head.

"Well, Roxas? How do feel about staying here for a while we come up with a course of action?" He watched as Roxas's face lit up and a huge grin split his face.

"Can I really? Stay here? What'll I do-can I explore-how long will I be here-can't I meet-"

Riku cut off the soon-to-be-tirade with a laugh. "Hold on buddy, calm down for a second. First of all, you'll stay here for two or three days till we can get hold of someone else who knew you from before. As long as the King says it's all right you can explore the castle to your heart's content. And no, you can't meet any of my other friends yet, not for a little while." He watched as Roxas digested this information, then turned back to the King.

"Well, King Mickey? Is that all, for now?"

After a moment the mouse nodded. "Yes. Roxas, you'll stay here, at my castle, for a few days. Riku will drop in again day after tomorrow, to see how you're doing. I'll watch you too, but I'm a bit busy with the Heartless at the moment. While you are here you are not to leave this world for any reason, and you must inform someone if you leave the castle grounds."

Roxas nodded eagerly, excited at the though of staying in the huge castle. "Yes sir, I promise. You can trust me, I won't break anything, promise. Where'll I stay?"

King Mickey smiled and shook his head. "Riku, perhaps you ought to track down Soar and Kairi, and go back to your own world. I'll lead Roxas to his room."

Riku smiled, then stood up. Clapping a hand on Roxas's shoulder, he told the boy, "Well, I'll see you later Roxas. Have fun during your stay here." He turned and left as Roxas bounced up and down in his chair. The King then led the boy out of the library and down a hallway over looking the throne room.

* * *

Sora and Kairi looked up as Riku walked into the room. "Riku! What are you doing here? I though you wanted to stay at Destiny Islands today!" Kairi cried out, slamming a book shut.

Riku ran a hand through his hair. "I'll explain after we leave. Let's just say I met someone important and had to bring him here right away."

Sora frowned, knowing Riku wasn't saying the whole truth. "Who did you meet? And why is he so important?"

Riku stretched his arms and turned to leave. "Leaving now. Want some answers, you better follow." Sora and Kairi quickly jumped up to follow him.

Just as they were about to pass through the portal Riku opened they heard a spout of sudden talk from the gallery above. All three looked up in time to watch a blond head disappear into another hallway.

"Who was that?" Sora asked, staring after the person.

Riku pushed him through the portal. "No one-now let's go home, Sora." He pulled Kairi through as well, and all three disappeared.


	6. Chapter 5

Roxas gulped and glanced over the railing. The courtyard he had just been exploring now seemed very, very far away. He had only been looking for a way onto the second floor so he could find the library and read some more books about Heartless and Keyblades. Instead he was clinging for his life on a small balcony near the fourth floor. How had he gotten stuck up here in the first place? "Hey-hey! Someone, help please!"

Just below him, Goofy was just passing by when he heard the boy call out. "Hey! Help!" He looked up, searching for the owner of the voice.

"Roxas?" he asked, looking around the courtyard. "Where are ya? Are you hiding again? You better not have broken something!" He looked but he couldn't find the boy.

"No, I didn't break nothing! I was exploring and now I'm stuck up here, Goofy, up here, by the roof! Can you help me down?"

Goofy finally looked up. "Oh dear. Hold on, I'll go find Donald for ya! Don't move!" He raced out of the courtyard, calling for the magician.

"No! Goofy, don't leave me!" But he was already gone. Roxas moaned and clutched at the railing even tighter. "Why do I always end up lost or in extremely high places?"

It had been four days since Riku dropped off Roxas to be watched over by the King. After being shown his room, Roxas had stared at it for an hour before running outside and following one of the servants around the castle. He didn't do much but stare at everything that first day, but the next three kept everyone in the castle on their toes.

First thing the next morning Donald and Goofy had to track Roxas down because no one could find him. That took them half an hour. Then Roxas decided to look around some of the older rooms in the castle, and got stuck in a secret passageway. King Mickey had to come rescue Roxas himself. And if that wasn't enough, he somehow found his way onto the kitchens, where he promptly helped one of the new cooks blow up a cake.

After cleaning the mess up, Mickey assigned Donald, Goofy, and Queen Minnie to watch over Roxas from now on. "A very…adventurous boy should be watched over constantly." were his exact words to the three. And so the babysitting began.

Next day: Roxas discovered two more secret passageways, locked himself up in the King's library, somehow got covered in flour, sugar, and milk, all at different times, and managed to make everyone the castle like him. How? There was just something about Roxas and his baby-like innocence that made everyone watch to see what he would do next.

Third day: nothing bad happened until lunch, when Goofy realized no one had seen Roxas since he woke up and ate breakfast. A two hour search later revealed him to be locked up in one of the nurseries playing with two year olds. Donald, Goofy, and Minnie decided to leave him there, for his enjoyment and their sanity. King Mickey couldn't stop laughing when he heard where they found Roxas.

"What an interesting boy," he murmured, writing a letter to Riku about all of the boy's adventures so far. "I wonder if it's because he is practically a baby, or because he simply has no memory of anything." In any case it was amusing to watch what the boy did. And wonder what he would do next.

Fourth day: Roxas had got up onto a fourth story balcony and was stuck there. He swore to himself that we would never explore again if he could just get down from there.

"Urg…" The wind pulled at him, threatening to push him off the railing. "How did I get stuck up here, again?" He leaned back, into the building, trying not to panic. "Stupid window. Why'd you have to lock yourself? I can't jump from here! It'll, like, kill me!"

He closed his eyes, waiting for help. Riku, he thought, you never came to visit me. Where are you? Am I ever going to see you again? Please, please, please, someone help me!

"Roxas!" He looked down, towards the voice that called out. "Close your eyes-I'm going lift you off the railing and down here. Don't fight my magic! You'll fall!"

Roxas nodded. Slowly he felt Donald's magic pulling him up, then lowering him to the ground. As soon as his feet hit the floor everyone crowed around him.

"Roxas! What were you doing up there?"

"Cool! Can you show us how to climb up there?"

"Can't stay out of trouble for one day, huh?"

"Come on, Roxas." Queen Minnie took Roxas's hand and led him away from the gaggle of people. "Let's get you cleaned up. Why, you're as pale as a sheet! That must have been terrifying."

Roxas blindly followed, trying not to throw up. Minnie led him into his room and left him there, promising to be back in a moment. He went over to the bed and collapsed. Now that he was finally safe he could think about what exactly he just did.

Let's see, I climbed up to a fourth story balcony and hung there for…how long was I up there? He squinted at the clock, trying to read it. Oh, about an hour. "An hour?" he whispered. "Geez, I gotta stop exploring. I'm gonna end up getting myself killed."

He lay there, not moving, for a long time. "Where's Queen Minnie?" He finally pushed himself up, looking around for the female mouse. "She said she'd be right back." He glanced around the room.

"Well, it can't hurt just to walk down the hallway and look for her, can it?" Slowly, Roxas opened his door. No one was in sight. Carefully closing it behind him, he walked down the corridor, looking for Donald or Goofy. He came to the throne room, and descended the stairs.

"Where's King Mickey? He's usually here in the morning." Roxas looked around, feeling like a ghost in an abandoned house. "Hello?"

Footsteps behind him. "Well, Roxas, you sure have had a lot of adventures here in just three days."

Roxas spun around, not recognizing the speaker. "W-who are you? Are you a friend of the King's? How do you know me?"

The older man smiled. His dark blue eyes glanced at the boy, taking in every detail of his appearance. "And I half expected you to be still cloaked on our old uniform. I have to admit, though-this appearance suits you a lot more."

Roxas backed up, not trusting the man in front of him. "Who are you? Answer me! How do you know who I am?" He wondered if he could run up the stairs before the man could catch him.

"Roxas." King Mickey appeared from behind the other man. "Roxas, this is a friend of mine who knew you before. He has come here to help you remember your past. There is no reason you shouldn't trust him. He will help us help you."

"Oh." Roxas looked at the other man again. "You knew me before? Who are you?" He frowned. "Do you know why I lost my memories?" His bright blue eyes clouded over, making him look suddenly much older.

The older man smiled again. "Actually, yes, I do know why you lost your memories. I am here to help bring them back. And as for my name-"

The doors behind King Mickey burst open. "Hey! King Mickey!" A boy's voice called out. "You said we can finally meet the Organization members. Where are they?"

Mickey and the other man turned. Roxas stared at the three new arrivals. One was Riku, on the far left of the group. He sent Roxas a grin. On the right was a girl with blue eyes and brown hair. She seemed to be filled with light, in Roxas's eyes. In the middle of the group was another boy, with bright blue eyes and spiky brown hair. It was he had had called out when the group had first entered.

"Sora, Kairi, Riku." King Mickey greeted them enthusiastically. "Wonderful, you are here. Just like I promised, you can meet the two Organization XIII members."

Organization XIII? Roxas had never heard of such a thing before. He opened his mouth to speak when the older man put a hand on his shoulder, silencing him.

"All three of you, I would like you to meet Organization member number XIII, Roxas, and member XI, Zexion." King Mickey turned to smile at the two. "It is they who will help us restore light to all the worlds."

Roxas turned to Zexion. "What am I supposed to do?"

* * *

A/N: Whoo, first authoress's note I remembered to put in. Yeah...I'm lazy, don't care much.

Anyway, this is the second story I have successfully uploaded onto this site. Yay. Hopefully it doesn't end up like my first...deleted.(I'm not too sure how I did that...)

So all of you reading this please review and tell me if I suck horribly or am pretty good. But it's okay if you don't. I understand. Sometimes I'm too lazy to review.

Disclaimer: Look at the URL. '' FANFICTION. If I owned this game would I be on this site? Henceforth I will not put disclaimers up. I do own the plot and will put claimers on any OCs I create. Or worlds. Or whatever. They will be mine.

P.S: I am a very forgetful person. If there is something in this story that I'm missing, tell me. I never played KH2 and I don't plan to-I will cry. I played 358/s Days, though. I still cry a little when I think about Roxas...and Xion...WAAAAAAH!! So tell me if I'm missing something majorly important. Thanks!

HIPPIE GIRL SAYS-PEACE OUT


	7. Chapter 6

King Mickey had led everyone into a smaller meeting room. Roxas was staring at Riku, who was staring at Zexion, who was not looking at anyone. Sora was also staring at Roxas while Kairi kept switching between Zexion and Roxas.

After King Mickey's first announcement about them, Kairi had tried to ask, "But isn't Roxas Sora's-" But Riku cut her off.

"Not now," he whispered, staring at Zexion. "We're not supposed to talk about Roxas's past yet. Don't say anything about Nobodies." And so everyone had silently followed the King, each caught up in their own thoughts.

No one said anything. The entire room was silent. It was Roxas who finally broke the silence. "So does this mean now I get my memories back?"

Everyone turned to him. "What d'you mean, get your memories back?" Sora asked, looking confused.

"Well, I woke up a real long time ago, and I couldn't remember anything. There was a letter, and it told me that I had lost my memories. I had to find Riku cause he would help me remember my past and he brought me here. He and King Mickey said they would help me but they needed to find another friend of mine from before. And now that he's here I was just wondering if I 'm gonna remember my past now." Roxas absently kicked at his chair, staring out the window.

King Mickey and Zexion exchanged a look. Riku noticed. "Zexion, I can almost understand why Roxas is here but how are you still alive?" He almost glared at the older man, clearly not trusting him.

Zexion raised his eyebrows. "Riku, if you recall our meetings at Castle Oblivion you would remember what element I controlled there. Besides, it is not a simple thing to get rid of me, I assure you."

Riku looked away with a huff. "Yeah, I remember what you controlled all too well." He turned to look at Roxas. He was staring at Kairi now. Feeling Riku watching him, Roxas turned.

"So what now? Do I magically remember everything, or does someone have to say a bunch of words to restore my memory?" His blue eyes turned on Zexion, open and completely trusting.

Zexion looked down, hating himself for what he must say next. "No, Roxas, you will not be receiving your lost memory today."

"Huh?" Roxas looked confused.

"Most likely, you will not be getting your memory back for a while." King Mickey looked down as well, knowing that this had to be said. Zexion hated the look on Roxas's face, a look of total betrayal.

"But-but why? Is there something wrong with me? Can't you just tell me about my past?" The pleading tone made even Riku look away now.

"Roxas, you did not have a normal past. There are things that were told to you that were not true. There are things you did yourself that would shock you. If you were to remember it all now, it would destroy you Roxas, because you wouldn't be able to understand most of it."

Roxas's head dropped. "Oh." He stopped moving; he just sat in his chair, staring at nothing.

Kairi winced, and whispered, "That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Zexion turned to her.

"It has to be said eventually." He looked at Roxas. "I can promise you that one day you will remember everything, Roxas. Just not right now." No reply. No reaction of any kind. Zexion sighed.

"Roxas, you were not created the same way most people are. You and I were born the same-one day, someone lost their heart. They turned into a Heartless. Their leftover body-that's what we are. We are called Nobodies, with a capital 'N', because we are born without hearts. You are the Nobody of Sora, and because of that the leader of Organization XIII wanted to use you to control all the worlds." Zexion paused, waiting for a reply from the drooping blond head.

…Nothing. Not even a twitch.

"But not everything he told us was true. Other than you, Roxas, and myself, he pretty much had everyone in the Organization thinking that we could never have a heart. Unless we completed Kingdom Hearts, of course, which was why he sought you out. Only the Keyblade could collect hearts, and since he had already lost his chance to make Sora his puppet, he decided to use you."

"…"

"So he installed you as the last member of Organization XIII, the thirteenth member, and made you go collect hearts for him." Zexion stared at Roxas; for a moment, he thought the boy had murmured something.

"However, Riku and King Mickey…rescued, let's say that, from Xemnas's power and tried to return you to Sora. He had previously been sleeping and recovering his memories due to a failed attempt to control him at Castle Oblivion. You were holding some of his memories, and therefore some of his power, that he needed to wake up."

"…ers."

Zexion frowned. "Excuse me?"

Roxas looked up, the bright look restored to his eyes. "There weren't thirteen members."

Riku stared at him. "But you don't remember anything from when you were part of the Organization!"

"I know." Roxas clenched his fists and looked down. Then back up, staring at everyone with an intensity that made them all believe him. "I know, I don't remember anything, but I do know that there were fourteen members. I just _know_."

Zexion slowly looked down. Sora tilted his head to one side. "Like, how? A feeling inside of you?"

"Yeah. Right here." Roxas thumped his chest, right over his heart. "I can't explain why, but I know it's true. There was a fourteenth member. Please, believe me."

King Mickey frowned. Riku furrowed his brow. Sora was still tilting his head, this time to the other side. Zexion stared at Roxas, a considering look in his eye. Kairi just clenched her hands together.

"Well, I for one believe him." Everyone turned to Riku.

"You do?" Roxas looked incredulous that anyone believed him so readily.

"Yeah, I do. Ever since I last saw you, from before, I've had this feeling that I've forgotten something."

"Something really important," Roxas finished. His face lit up as he grinned at Riku. "So I'm not the only one!"

Zexion watched the two. "Interesting. Maybe he did succeed…" Shaking his head, he called everyone's attention back.

"Alright, so we've decided that there are fourteen Organization members and have established that Roxas does, in fact, have a heart."

Everyone, excluding Mickey, stared at him with a 'Huh?' face.

"Well, he feels that there was another friend of his in the Organization. Someone that no one else remembers, including myself. But I do not doubt that what he says he true. And the only way he would remember that fact is if he had his memories, which he doesn't. Or if he had a heart, which Zemnas insisted that no Nobody had. And that also proves how wrong he and Xenohart were. In any case, we must now decide what Roxas will do next."

"Zexion, don't you think-"

"You mean Xenohart-"

"But what about the other-"

"Do next? He should-"

"Slow down! How can you-"

"SILENCE!!" Zexion's shout brought complete silence. "Alright, I know, not smart. But we can't just leave Roxas here forever. For one he would eventually drive his babysitters to madness." Roxas turned red. "Two, the Organization had more enemies than we know, and some of them may go after Roxas. Three, if he truly wants to restore his lost memories he must leave this castle."

"But you said I wasn't gonna get them back…"

"No, what I said is that you aren't going to get them back _right now_. Eventually they will return to you, and if you are still residing here they may not come back complete. This castle is surrounded by quite a few magic barriers, and they would damage your returning memories." Zexion stared at the boy, eyebrow raised. "Any other questions, while we're at it?"

Roxas shook his head. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again.

Sora quickly jumped in before anyone else could speak. "Why doesn't Roxas come stay with us? At Destiny Islands? He would safe there, and Riku knows him best out of everyone here." He sat back and grinned, pleased with the idea.

Kairi jumped on the idea. "Yeah, why doesn't he? I mean, Riku does know him, and there's a bunch of us kids he can play with. Plus he can explore all he wants!"

King Mickey looked at Zexion. He nodded. "Alright, if it's fine you three, Roxas can stay in the Destiny Islands." All four cheered. "But," and King Mickey looked at all of them, "you must be careful about the worlds you travel to and from. Going to the wrong world to destroy Heartless can lead them back to your world. It is vital that we take care of the Heartless threat, but not at the cost of our homes." All four nodded.

"And I will visit once in a while, to check up on Roxas," Zexion added. He swept his silver blue hair out of his eyes. "If Roxas's memories start to return we need to make sure they came back safely and undamaged. I will monitor their return, as well as Roxas's mental state. Agreed?"

"Agreed!" Roxas couldn't have looked happier. Kairi was smiling and laughing. Sora was bouncing in his seat. Riku was grinning and shaking his head, knowing what was ahead of them now that they would be watching over Roxas.

"Fine." Zexion stood up. "I hope this turns out for the best." Everyone nodded. "Well then, good-bye."

"Wait! You're leaving?" Roxas jumped up and grabbed Zexion's shirt.

"I'll see you again soon, Roxas. Don't worry, no one's abandoning you." Though he felt that he was, Zexion thought. He gently pulled away from Roxas, and waited until the boy nodded.

"Everyone has a place to be. I think we all should be going there now." With one final look at the four watching him, Zexion disappeared.

_I hope that this time things turn out differently._

* * *

_A/N: Whoot_ no school tommorrow yays. Two chapters up. I was going to put up one yesterday but stupid Personal Guard 2009 decided to crash my computer for fun. RAWR!

So...who was expecting Zexion to reappear? Me and my friends are obsessed with the fact that he is the only Organization member we didn't see die. So we believe that he may still be out there...

HIPPIE GIRL SAYS: PEACE OUT


	8. Chapter 7

"Roxas?" Riku looked at his bed; he was gone. "Oh man…"

Yesterday Sora, Kairi, and Riku had immediately welcomed Roxas to the islands. They set up a bed for him in Riku's room so he could watch over the boy. Roxas had been jumping around, hyper and grinning like the idiot he was. The first thing he did when they showed him around the island was jump into the water.

Watching the blond head disappear under the water, Riku shook his head. 'This is going to be fun.'

And the next morning Roxas was already gone. Riku groaned and got up. "Roxas?" Not in the house. "Buddy? Where are you?" Not on the beach.

"Roxas? What are you doing?" He was sitting on the sand by the paopu tree. He turned to look at Riku.

"I couldn't sleep and the sun was coming up so I decided to watch it. It's really cool." His blue eyes turned back to the huge golden ball. Riku shook his head.

"Come on," he said, pulling the boy up. "Let's get some food, hmm?"

And so it began. As soon as everyone was finished eating Roxas followed Riku around. Like an adorable blond puppy. Riku wouldn't have minded, except that he also asked every question that popped into his little head.

"What's a shell? Why is the sand hot? Why does the sun rise and set? Where do the waves go? Can I go swimming again? When is Zexion gonna come here? Why is your hair silver? Why am I so small? How are boys and girls different? Why are we different?"

Question after question after question. Riku tried answering them all but it was hard considering Roxas was asking things he had never thought about, or took for granted. Kairi took pity on Riku and looked after Roxas when she heard him ask Riku how normal people were born.

With Kairi Roxas was shy, and careful-he didn't yell as much, or jump around wildly. Sora and Riku both laughed when one day Roxas was running down the beach, slid, and almost hit Kairi. He turned bright red, stuttering apologies and trying to get up, and failing. Both boys decided that Roxas was an amusement in and of himself, and should be watched at all times.

After three days Roxas finally seemed to run out of questions. He mostly just played on the beach or collected shells. Sora asked him why he did that once.

"Hey, Roxas, what're you doing? Looking for something you lost?" Roxas had been picking up shells and rocks one by one, inspect them, then toss them away. He looked up at Sora's question.

"Yeah. Well, no, not for something I lost, but…" He trailed off. "Like before, with the fourteen Organization members. I have to find a shell or something, or I don't know. Something bad will happen. It's just a feeling, inside."

"A feeling, huh." Sora looked at the discarded shells around Roxas. "Well, I know how that feels, to be pulled by something inside of you. Actually, I feel something right now."

Roxas turned, looking surprised. "You do?"

Sora grinned. "Yeah, I gotta do this!"

* * *

Riku was watching the clouds. Wonder if I should go find Roxas, he thought idly. Before he does something stupid. There was a quiet 'thump' to his left. He looked; Zexion stood there, brushing himself off. His black ensemble swayed in the island wind.

"Well, at least you don't wear the cloak anymore," Riku remarked, sitting up.

"Whatever. Where's Roxas? I'm surprised that your island is still intact, considering what Roxas did at Mickey's castle." Zexion looked around, searching for the blond.

"Playing with Sora, I think, on the beach. Come on." Riku got up and led the older man to where he last saw Roxas.

The first thing they noticed was Kairi, laughing so hard she was crying. Confused, both turned to the beach. Sora and Roxas were there, all right.

"Ha! You missed-"

"Ow-hey, got you there-"

"Try that again-"

"You are so-"

Both boys were nearly covered head to toe in sand and mud. They were flinging sand at each other, laughing and calling out insults. As Riku and Zexion watched Sora flung a piece of seaweed at Roxas, who dodged it and smacked him in the face with a handful of sand.

"Gotcha now-"

"No way you'll never-"

"Give up it's-"

The two finally noticed everyone watching them. They stopped, Roxas mid-throw, Sora ducking.

"What?" they both asked at the same time. Riku couldn't help it; he bent over, laughing as hard as Kairi still was. Zexion sighed up and looked up at the sky.

"I don't know if I should laugh or cry," he muttered, closing his eyes.

Roxas and Sora exchanged looks. "What?" Roxas asked. "We were bored, and besides, Sora started it!"

"No way! You threw the sand back! What was I supposed to do, just stand there?" Sora grinned at Roxas. "I got better aim than you do."

"Like heck you do! I hit you way more than you hit me!"

"Ok, how about you two go get cleaned up?" Zexion eyed the two. "I have some news from King Mickey if you care to hear it." His words had the desired effect: both boys ran to the water's edge, trying to get all the sand off as quickly as possible. Shaking his head, Zexion headed over to the paopu tree island. After a moment both Kairi and Riku followed, still laughing.

"Oh man," Roxas, moaned, shaking his jacket off. "We are idiots, aren't we? Sora?" Something flew out of his jacket. Pausing in his shaking, Roxas leaned over to look at it. It was a shell. Bending over, he picked it up.

"Huh." It was almost exactly like his own shell, only pink where his was blue. "Huh. Sora, did you throw any shells at me?"

"What? No way, I made sure not to. Why, did one land on you or something? Lemme see." He came over and stared at the shell.

"Huh. Weird. It feels like, this was what I was searching for this entire time. Like this one shell is super important." Roxas tilted his head to one side, frowning.

"Well, keep it. Maybe you used to have one just like it, and lost it. Come on, hurry up! I wanna hear what King Mickey told Zexion to tell us!" Sora flicked off some sand and took off for the small island.

"Hey, wait up!" Roxas yelled. He pulled his jacket on and ran after Sora.

* * *

"Finally," Riku muttered as the two boys ran up. They both collapsed onto the sand, panting. Zexion eyed them for a moment.

"Well, it is nice to see you all again. Anything happen while Roxas was here?" Kairi shook her head. "Good. King Mickey sent me tell ask Sora for some help."

"Help? To do what?" Sora asked.

"Apparently a giant Heartless has surfaced in one of the worlds and is causing a huge problem for said world. He wants to ask if you could go destroy it for him, and the world's citizens." Zexion's dark blue eyes scrutinized Roxas as he spoke, watching his every move.

Roxas didn't notice. He was too busy thinking that what Zexion just said sounded awfully familiar. He frowned, wondering if he had done something like that before, destroy a giant Heartless. For the Organization.

"Just Sora?" Kairi asked, looking worried. "Can't we all go? I mean, last time we left this island-other than to see King Mickey-we all got separated for over a year. Riku, Roxas and I should come along. I mean, we might even be able to help. Right?" She looked at Riku, then Zexion.

"Well…" He turned to look at Roxas, still deep in his own thoughts. Zexion thought it over: should they risk it? _I wish King Mickey were here. _"All right, I don't see the harm. Maybe Roxas might remember a thing or two about his own Keyblade."

"Huh?" Roxas looked up just as Riku muttered, "Keyblade_s_."

Sora and Kairi looked at Riku. "Later," he said. Roxas stared at Zexion, mouth wide open. "I can wield the Keyblade? Like Sora and King Mickey? Really?" He started bouncing up and down on the sand.

Zexion sighed. "I shouldn't have mention that yet," he whispered to himself. _Oh well._

* * *

_A/N_: Well. Catch up work is almost done-yay. Would've had this up yesterday except I remembered that I had a bio test today. That was super easy. Now I wish I had just finished typing this instead of studying. SIGH

Oooh, I have another question:If you dream about sleeping with someone-and no, not doing _it_ but just like sleeping in the same bed-what does that mean? Reeeeeeeeeeeeally weird dream last night. I'm not sure if it was me or my pain meds(Vicodins XD 500 mg baby) but it was hellava strange. Anyone have any clue?

HIPPIE GIRL SAYS:PEACE OUT


	9. Chapter 8

The portal opened and Sora, Kairi, Riku, Roxas, and Zexion stepped out. They were surrounded by sand, lots and lots of sand.

"Where are we…exactly?" Riku asked, looking around.

"Uh, if I remember…this place is called Agrabah." Zexion looked in his book. Riku looked at him.

"You still have that thing?" Zexion ignored him.

"Uh, so where's the Heartless? I don't see anything," Sora remarked. He was right-there was nothing around them. A very far away they could make out what seemed to be a large city.

"…" Kairi and Roxas looked around, each feeling something different. For Kairi, there was a feeling of hopelessness, and despair, emanating from the desert. For Roxas, the desert seemed almost familiar, but at the same time totally alien.

Zexion shook his hair out of his eyes. "If I'm correct, we need to head-" he turned partly, "-this way. Let's move." He started walking. With head shakes and sighs the four teens followed.

* * *

"Hey, what's that?" Roxas had stopped walking and was a ways behind the others. They stopped and turned. He was looking at a dark blur in the sky that was moving towards them _very_ quickly.

"Roxas! Get down!" Zexion ran and managed to tackle him down before the flying Heartless could grab him. It shot up and circled, crying its anger at them. Zexion closed his eyes and shouted something. A barrier formed around Roxas. Riku grabbed Kairi and pushed her in it.

"Sora! C'mon-let's go catch that sucker!" Both boys summoned their weapons-Keyblade and shadow blade- and raced after the Heartless. It turned and flew straight at them. Riku dodged to one side while Sora jumped up and landed on the Heartless's back. He hacked at it with the Keyblade while Riku slashed at its wings from the ground.

"Yeah!" Sora managed a good hit to the head and the Heartless tilted to one side then crashed into the sand. Sora jumped off right before impact and rolled into a sand dune. Riku slowly approached the Heartless as it struggled to get back up. With one final beat of its wings it fell still. Slowly it dissolved, releasing the hearts it had collected. Riku and Sora watched till it was completely gone.

"Sora! Riku!" Kairi ran up and hugged both of them. "That was dangerous you idiots! Be careful!"

Zexion and Roxas slowly followed, the later not paying attention to anything. Zexion had a hand on his shoulder, steering through the sand to the others. His face was completely blank; his mind was going a thousand miles a second.

_This feels so familiar. Have I been here before, is that it? Did I come here looking for Riku? Or did I come here…before? When I was part of the Organization?_

Riku looked and noticed Roxas. "Hey, Roxas, what are you thinking about? Hey, Roxas!" No response. "Why are you acting like a…like a zombie?"

That snapped Roxas out of it. "Don't call me a zombie!" he yelled, angry. His blue eyes flashed. Everyone stared at him. "What?" Suddenly he was normal again; same old innocent blue eyes, same blank look.

"That was…strange," Sora remarked. Kairi was staring at Roxas, still surprised he had gotten so angry.

Zexion shook his head and muttered something under his breath. "Come on, let's get out of here before and more Heartless show up." He opened a portal and walked through, still guiding Roxas, who had gone zombie again. Sora, Riku, and Kairi exchanged looks then followed.

* * *

"So what's wrong with Roxas, again?" Instead of going to the Destiny Islands, Zexion had taken everyone to see King Mickey. He had explained what happened to Roxas after the Heartless had been destroyed. The boy in question was outside in the courtyard, playing with Sora and Kairi while Riku talked with the two adults.

"He seemed, for a moment, to remember Axel calling him a zombie. He yelled at Riku the same way he yelled at Axel. But a moment later he had forgotten what happened, and went-"

"-zombie again," Riku cut in. "It was all very strange, now can you please tell us why, or at least what you think caused that outburst? King Mickey?"

The mouse looked thoughtful. "Well, he did travel to that world several times, didn't he, Zexion? Perhaps he felt it was familiar and started to remember something. At the very least, I think it's safe to say his body and subconscious still have their memories of the past."

All three were silent, caught up in their own thoughts. In the courtyard below the window behind Riku Roxas and Sora were wrestling each other while Kairi, Donald, and Goofy looked on. Zexion watched the blond head.

"Nothing should change." He turned back to King Mickey. "If Roxas starts to remember the past that's fine. Namine didn't exactly say why he should stay ignorant but he must remember eventually."

"Yeah, but I have a feeling the reason she did that is linked to Vexen's Replica program." Zexion looked worried. Now Sora and Roxas were chasing Kairi around the courtyard; she was laughing and yelling at them. "If he remembers the fourteenth member that no one else does then it must have been a Replica."

"And he's not supposed to remember the Replica, right?" Riku was fast to catch on. "Why?"

"Because they are made based on someone's memory of another person. When the Replica disappears, our memories of it disappear because it never existed. They're not even Nobodies, or at least that's what Vexen told Zemnas and Saix."

"Riku!" Sora burst into the library. "Come on, help me and Roxas catch Kairi! She said me and Roxas couldn't cause we're idiots! C'mon, help us!" He grabbed Riku and dragged him from the room. Zexion and King Mickey watched, amused, as Riku proceed to smack Sora then chase him down the hallway. A second later they both reappeared in the courtyard.

"Well. This new batch of Keyblade wielders certainly keeps us on our feet, eh Mickey?" Zexion leaned back, thinking of the days when things weren't as complicated and could be settled with a few words or fists. The good days.

* * *

Roxas looked around. "Huh?" He had just gone to bed; was he dreaming? All around him was darkness. "Hello?" he called out, worried. "Hey? Am I dreaming or something? Riku? Sora? Someone wake me up!"

Movement behind him. A flying _thing_ came at him. Roxas cried out and slashed at it with his hand.

"Hey! Roxas! Wake up and destroy those Heartless!" A spiky red-headed man ran out from behind Roxas. He slashed at another Heartless with a pair of silver and red chakrams.

Heartless? Roxas looked down; he was holding a Keyblade and dressed all in black. Cloak, gloves, boots. What was going on?

"Roxas! Zombie boy, wake up!"

_Heartless!_ "Right-sorry Axel!" Roxas slashed at the flying Heartless. Duh, he thought. I'm collecting hearts today with Axel. For the first time in a while, too. Better hurry up so we can eat sea-salt ice cream together.

"Finally. All done. You shouldn't daydream on the job, Roxas. It'll get you killed." Axel swung his weapons, his upside-down tear drop tattoos shining in the setting sun.

"Sorry. I was thinking about a really weird dream I had last night. Man, I actually thought it was real for a moment!" Roxas shook his head and put his Keyblade away. He looked up at the older man. "Time to call it a day?"

"Yep, time for some icing on the cake. C'mon, Roxas, race ya to the ice cream stand." Axel put his own weapons away and grinned at the younger boy.

"You're on!" Roxas took off. The red head laughed and quickly passed the blond with his long legs. "Hey! Not fair!" Roxas yelled, still grinning. Suddenly, everything went black again, and Roxas heard a voice inside his head.

_Axel's gone, Roxas. I'm sorry._

Roxas turned around and around. "Hey! What's going on? Axel? Axel!" The darkness seemed to rush him, and Roxas fell.

* * *

Roxas woke up, heart pounding, gasping for breathe. In the other bed Riku turned over, heedless of the other boy's panic. Roxas looked around, straining to see the room in the dark. Yes, there was his pack, and on the desk were his two shells, the blue and yellow one, and the pink and yellow one he found.

Taking deep breaths, still clutching his shirt, right over his heart, Roxas slowly calmed down. He tried to remember his dream. All he could remember was there had been a spiky red-headed man, and that he had been vey important to Roxas.

* * *

_a/n: _And so it begins.

This was a fun chapter to write.

HIPPIE GIRL SAYS: PEACE OUT


	10. Chapter 9

_a/n:_ The reason this is up so late at night is because of a video I saw on Youtube that got me addicted to a new anime series, 07-Ghost. Awesome video, beyobd awesome anime. Teito is so adoarable, and I just love Frau, perv he is. Hey, every anime's gotta have one.

Anyway, chapter up. Have fun.

HIPPIE GIRL SAYS: I NEED TO GET A NEW SAYING

* * *

"Guy with red hair?" Riku turned to look at Roxas.

"No, spiky red-hair. Was there a person like that in the Organization?" Roxas's dream last night had kept him from falling asleep again. He decided to ask Riku about it since the older boy seemed to know every member from the Organization.

"Yeah, there was a guy like that who was a member. Also had upside down teardrop tattoos under his eyes as well. You know him?"

"Yeah, well, I think I dreamed about him last night. It's the only part of the dream I can remember now. What's his name? Do you know?"

Riku considered not telling Roxas, since Axel was already long gone. But he would remember at some point, so… "Yeah, his name was Axel."

"Axel," Roxas repeated. "Axel. Thanks Riku!" The boy ran off. Riku watched him, worried. He should probably tell Zexion and the King Roxas was already starting to remember.

* * *

Roxas had adjusted to life on the island. Wake up, eat breakfast, play around on the beach with Sora, Kairi, Riku, and the other kids on the island. Lunch, some more playing, maybe collect a few more shells, ask any new questions he came up with, watch the sunset, dinner, bed. Simple, yet Roxas loved it.

A few days later Zexion came back to the island to check Roxas. He also came with another Heartless problem for Sora, who gladly accepted it. And so all five, plus Donald and Goofy this time, headed off to destroy the Heartless.

* * *

"Monstro!" Sora exclaimed when they arrived.

"Yes. Apparently, a Darkside has appeared here, and so far has not done anything."

"Then why are we destroying it?" Kairi asked, confused.

"Because a Darkside is a giant Heartless who can collect hearts simply by existing in a world. It also calls other Heartless to it, making them override the world. We need to get rid of it as soon as possible."

"Darkside, huh." Sora looked worried; Roxas glanced around nervously, as if the giant Heartless could pop out anywhere and attack the group.

"No need to worry!" Donald and Goofy smiled at the four teens. "That's why we're here-to help you guys!"

Zexion rolled his eyes. He started to walk off, the others scrambling to follow the taller man. Leading them beyond the bustling main city, they approached what seemed to be ruins: houses, huge buildings, barns, cracked and crumbling walls.

"The only place destroyed so far-we can guess that's where the Darkside is hiding. Everyone, keep together. Weapons out, eyes open. Don't wander from anyone else. See something, call out." Everyone nodded; no one would want to get caught by the giant Heartless unaware.

Complete silence and a feeling of oppression filled the ruins. Kairi stayed close to Riku and Sora, both clutching at their weapons. Roxas had a death grip on the edge of Zexion's shirt, plainly terrified. Zexion didn't have the heart to push him off. In any case, even he felt nervous in this place.

Donald kept using his magic to light up darkened homes and buildings, but never found anything. Goofy kept his shield up and led the group, knowing his first duty was to protect Roxas and Kairi, the two who couldn't fight, safe.

The small avalanche of rocks alerted Roxas, who called out to Sora "Watch out!" just in time. The huge claw slammed into the ground Sora and Kairi were just standing on. The two had jumped backwards, into Donald, who yelped and accidently sent a fireball into the claw. The claw's owner screamed, a sound so horrible everyone covered their ears.

"Sora! Riku! Donald, charge!" Zexion shoved Roxas into the shell of a nearby house and ran at the Darkside, pulling out his magic book. Kairi followed Roxas, and Goofy stood in front of the entrance, prepared to keep the two safe no matter what. The others all ran at the Darkside, jumping up onto roofs to reach it.

Riku reached the giant Heartless first, hacking at the injured hand. Sora came next, both him and Donald concentrating their attacks on the Darkside's legs, trying to knock it over. Zexion stood back with Donald and launched his magic at the head, where he did the most damage but also had to dodge a lot of arm swings and falling/thrown rocks. Roxas and Kairi watched from the house, both terrified for their friends.

Another horrible scream: Sora and Donald had cut one of its legs. It toppled sideways, right on top of Riku. "NO!" Roxas screamed. He ran out of the shelter, ignoring Kairi's protests and dodged Goofy, who tried to grab the blond. He ran straight for Riku, tackling him out of the way just as the Darkside fell.

"NO! ROXAS!" This time the yell was shared by everyone who had seen the boy run. Zexion turned, not seeing what had happened but could guess, judging by the way Riku was sprawled in the dirt. He yelled, and the Darkside flew backwards, smashing into a building. There was nothing where it had just lain.

No, wait-there! Roxas popped out of a hole in the wall behind him, covered in dirt. "You idiot!" Riku and Zexion yelled at him, but the Darkside was getting up again. Even missing a leg it wouldn't give up and slashed at Sora, the nearest to him. He backed up, barely dodging the claw, and Riku jumped forward to help. Zexion had to tear his attention away from the idiot blond and hope the boy would make his way back to the shelter. He didn't.

Sora jumped onto the roof next to the building the Darkside was leaning on and started attacking its head. Riku began working on the other leg while Donald and Zexion began a barrage on the chest. Scream-the other leg was out. The Darkside went forward this time, aiming at the boy standing in the rubble, mouth open and staring. It crashed right on top of Roxas.

"ROXAS!" But it wasn't over; no, something was pushing the Heartless up, up, and threw it back into the building. Roxas stood there, panting, clutching at the Keyblade in his hands. He glared at the Darkside, and charged at it, Keyblade held up and ready to swing. Sora and Riku didn't even hesitate; they charged at the same time.

All three weapons plus a huge blast of magic from Zexion and Donald was too much for the Darkside; it gave one final scream and disappeared, dissolving into darkness and releasing all the hearts it had collect. Roxas couldn't stop his momentum from his charge-he flew right into Sora. Both boys fell off the roof and crashed to the ground below.

Kairi abandoned her hiding place and ran with the others to find the two boys. They had landed in a heap, tangled together but still holding onto their Keyblades. Riku helped pull them apart, laughing and shaking his head. Zexion could see he was shaking as he helped his best friend and his Nobody up. Both were fine.

"Hey." Sora turned to Roxas. "You can use the Keyblade!"

"Huh?" Roxas looked at the Keyblade he held. "Hey, I can! I can wield the Keyblade!" He grinned and jumped up, whooping. Kairi laughed, relieved, and Donald and Goofy joined in. Zexion just watched it all, shaking his head. _So he can use the Keyblade again, huh? And remembers Axel, a bit. Soon he shall remember it all, and we're still not sure if that's a good thing or not._

"Come on," he remarked casually. "Let's get back and tell King Mickey how badly we kicked this Darkside's ass!" The others all cheered, especially Sora and Roxas. Both boys stood side by side, grinning and laughing, Keyblades twinkling in the waning sun. Only Riku saw the sad look he cast upon Roxas, and he didn't know what to make of it.

* * *

"Well, good job today. I though sending Donald and Goofy would keep anyone from getting injured, but it seems that we might've needed that." King Mickey appraised the four teens in front of him: Riku, somber and calm; Sora, still grinning; Kairi, smiling as well; and Roxas, still holding his Keyblade, but somber like Riku. Zexion raised his eyebrows at Mickey; they needed to talk.

"Very well. Thank you all. You've been a considerable help in taking care of the worlds. Now I think you all would like to go home and rest." Mickey nodded at them. All four smiled back then left through the portal Riku opened.

Zexion sighed and collapsed into a nearby chair. "Now I'm all but convinced that the reason Namine sealed his memories is because of a Replica; and yet we can't stop them from coming back, now that she's gone. I'm afraid that since he can wield the Keyblade again it won't be long till everything comes back."

"And that may just ruin everything," King Mickey agreed. "But it may also be what we need to reverse the past. That wasn't supposed to happen, you know that, and yet no one is supposed to remember a lost Replica." The mouse sighed as well, and dropped his head.

"At any rate, we won't know for sure till everything comes back. Until then, we just have to wait and watch what happens."

* * *

That was the first night he dreamed of her.

Roxas stood, surrounded by darkness again. And just like last time, a Heartless came at him. This was had wings and was silver blue. But he didn't have time to bring up his Keyblade-

A loud _CHING!_-metal on metal- and the Heartless disappeared. Behind it stood another black cloak wielding a Keyblade.

"Roxas, are you alright?" The strawberry pink lips asked. Her blue eyes, cerulean just like his, the same color exactly, shone with worry. The short black hair swayed gently in the wind.

"Yeah, ----, I'm fine. Just daydreaming again." Roxas rubbed the back of his head, grinning ashamedly. "Mission complete. Let's hurry up and get to the clock tower-maybe Axel's waiting for us!"

"Yeah, we should go. C'mon Roxas." The girl disappeared into the dark portal. Roxas followed, only to end up in complete darkness again. Only this time the girl was still in front of him, waiting with that gentle smile on her lips.

"Wait-what's going on?" He reached for the girl, suddenly overwhelmed by the impulse to hold her, make sure she was really there. She danced away, smiling still, but so sadly now.

"I'm sorry, Roxas. This is the way it has to be. I can't change it. I'm so sorry, Roxas." She began to fade. Roxas yelled, screamed, reached for her hand but went right through her body.

"Don't worry." Her voice echoed all around Roxas. "We'll meet again someday, I promise."

"No! Come back! Please, don't go! I need you!" Roxas yelled, tears streaming down his cheeks. He ran and yelled but the girl never appeared again.

"NOOO!!"


	11. Chapter 10

_a/n:_ Okay, I meant to put this up yesterday. I swear! It's just the I couldn't get onto last night. Did anyone else have that problem or was it just me?

Probably just me. When Personnal Guard 2009 is bored it likes to crash my internet and computer(sweatdrop). So...anyway, here is the chapppie! Yay!

EDIT: *slams head onto desk* Thanks, NinjaSheik. I totally missed that Xemnas. I'd get a Beta-Reader, but don't feel like it and then the chappies would take longer to get out. Sigh

**HIIPIE GRIL SAYS:**UH...DON'T DO DRUGS. GIVE HUGS! (I got seven today!)

* * *

"Riku?" Sora yawned and stretched. "Roxas? Are you two up yet?" Strange, he thought, the two boys were almost always up before he was. Rubbing his eyes, Sora stumbled into Riku's room.

"Huh?" It was empty. Sora walked over to Riku's bed and picked up the letter on the pillow.

_I've taken Roxas to see King Mickey. Come as soon as you can._

"Now what happened?" Sora mumbled, blue eyes scanning the room. "Kairi!" he called, running out. "We're gonna see King Mickey again!"

* * *

Sora and Kairi appeared in the castle's courtyard. Goofy was waiting for them. He led the two teens into the throne room, up the stairs, and into the King's personnel library. The second Sora walked in he knew something was wrong. For one, they hardly ever came into Mickey's own library. And Roxas wasn't in sight, and he hadn't seen the boy outside. Sora highly doubted the other boy was wandering around the castle.

"Riku? Where's Roxas?" Riku, Zexion, and King Mickey all turned to look at Sora and Kairi. Goofy quietly left. "What happened? Is there something wrong?"

There was a very long silence before Mickey finally answered Kairi. "Roxas is with Queen Minnie. I think you should go stay with him for a bit, Kairi. You might be able to calm him down some. Just go down this hall, it's the last door on the left."

Kairi, confused, left. Sora looked at all three before slowly taking a seat next to Riku. The older boy was pale, and when Sora looked, he was shaking slightly. "Riku? Are you alright?"

The boy only shook his head. Zexion shook his head and pulled Sora's attention to him. "Sora. From what we can get from Riku, and see ourselves, it seems that Roxas had a dream. A nightmare. And I'd bet anything it was about his past."

Riku drew in a shuddering breath. Sora turned back to him. "It was more than just a nightmare. At first he was just rolling around. It sounded like he was mumbling something. I woke up, and started watching him. Then he…" Riku trailed off. He sucked in another breath, then continued. "He started flailing around. And that mumbling, it became whispering, then, then yelling. He kept saying 'don't go don't go please stay'. It freaked me out-I had to stop him. Just as I was about to grab him, he stopped. But he started crying. Just-crying. Tears and tears that just wouldn't stop. That scared me, just terrified me, the way he wouldn't stop and clutched at me. So I brought him here, to see if we could figure out why."

Zexion nodded. "He appeared just as I was leaving. I saw Roxas myself-it was horrible. I called for Mickey, and he called for Minnie to comfort the boy. I agree with Riku-he must have been dreaming about his past again. What, we may never know. But one thing's for sure-if Roxas remembers his past it will most likely tear him apart, for the same reason he wouldn't stop crying."

Sora was worried and confused. "So you sent Kairi to comfort him. Is he gonna be alright?"

"Hopefully, yes. The best we can hope for is that for this to never happen again, and Roxas not remembering this incident. At worst, he remembers something horrible or something he is not meant to remember and it eats away at him."

A somber silence filled the room. Sora was thinking, looking over at his friend every few seconds. Riku slowly calmed himself down and tried to think of what he knew of Roxas's past that would freak him out so badly. King Mickey was looking out the window, considering making a search for someone else that could manipulate memories the way Namine did and have them seal Roxas's memories permanently. Zexion was also looking out the window, thinking that Vexen's Replica had been in the Organization and Roxas was remembering that person who wasn't supposed to exist.

No one spoke, and the silence went on, undisturbed by anything. The four were too caught up in their own thoughts to talk out loud. And in any case, saying what might be wrong would only make things worse for the cerulean eyed blond in the last room on the left side of the corridor.

* * *

"Roxas?" Kairi slowly opened the door. She peeked inside to see a blond haired ball curled up on the bed. "Roxas." She tip-toed inside and stood next to the bed.

Slowly the blond head lifted, and blue eyes, red and puffy from crying, stared at her. "Kairi." He uncurled a little, face covered in tear streaks. "Queen Minnie just left, she was here watching me, and I don't know how long ago that was. Did…did you and Sora come?"

"Yeah." Kairi looked at the bundle of blond hair and tan and black clothing on the bed. Smiling softly, she crawled onto the bed next to Roxas. After a moment he leaned his head on her shoulder. She spoke softly, knowing without him saying anything what had happened. "Are you all right now?"

"I dunno. The dream, I can't remember it, except someone was leaving, and they wouldn't tell me why." The boy shuddered and tightened his arms around his knees. "She was leaving, and I couldn't stop her, no matter what I did. And I knew that if I let her go I would never see her again."

Kairi nodded, and hugged the boy leaning against her. "It's alright. It was just a dream." Though they both knew it wasn't. "I bet you'll see her again someday. Just wait, Roxas, you'll see."

Roxas smiled, sadly, and nodded. "Yeah. I must've freaked Riku out real bad. I just…couldn't stop crying. I didn't want to lose her. I couldn't lose her, not again." He fell silent, almost unaware of the last thing he said. Kairi knew he didn't say that last part-his heart did.

"Well, come on. We'll tell Riku sorry and thank you for bringing you here." She slipped off the bed. Roxas sat there a minute longer, then crawled off as well.

"Yeah…" Kairi smiled, and took hold of his hand. He blinked, and his cheeks turned slightly red. She couldn't help but giggle at his reaction.

"Let's go."

* * *

Zexion was the only one that turned when Kairi opened the door and walked in. Only when the old Organization member remarked, "Roxas you look better," did the others look up as well. As soon as he had entered the room Roxas had let go of Kairi's hand and ran over to Riku.

"Sorry," he whispered, cheeks redder now, as he stood in front of the silver-haired boy. He scuffed one shoe on the floor as Kairi silently took a seat.

"Roxas, you might as well take a seat." Zexion sounded fairly amused at the boy's behavior. _The most unpredictable boy ever, other than maybe Sora._ "I know it hurts you, but do you remember anything about your…dream last night?"

Roxas winced, as did the other three teens. Mickey had gone back to staring out the window, though he was still listening. "Well, not really. Only just that a girl was leaving and I wanted her to stay. Needed her to stay." He fell silent, caught up in that strange sense of longing for the unknown girl. That need to have her by his side, forever.

"Roxas, I'm afraid that the worst had happened. The only female member of the Organization was Larxene, and she left with me to go to Castle Oblivion when you had been with us for twenty days." Zexion looked away, knowing his next words would set someone off. "That means the person you remember isn't a person at all. She was a Replica, a person made based on someone else's memories."

Riku shot up, knocking over his chair. "You didn't-"

"I wasn't in charge of the program- Vexen was. And I tried my best to stop it, and Xemnas, and Saix at the same time. I couldn't fight all three at the same time. Hell, it was hard enough ensuring Xigbar didn't kidnap the kid and…" Zexion stopped suddenly, and turned away. Everyone, other than Mickey, was confused.

"Huh?" Sora looked from Riku, still very pissed off, to Zexion. "What's going on?"

"Sora, Replicas are made based on someone's memories of someone else." Mickey turned away from the window. "The likelihood of the Organization using your memories to create a fake being is very high. Riku thinks the fourteenth member may have been a Replica made with the memories you lost at Castle Oblivion. Whether or not we find out if that's true depends on Roxas."

Everyone turned to the blond. Poor Roxas, he was confused and not following along very well. "Huh? Why-why me?"

"Roxas, you remember a person no one else does. You might just be the key to bringing that person back, and making them real." Zexion stood up. "Sorry, but I have to leave now. I don't want to, but I have other…projects I need to attend to. I hope you all stay in good health." He gave everyone one final look and left the room.

"Huh?" Roxas squeaked again. Riku rolled his eyes. _He's back to normal-mostly. Good. That other Roxas scared me a bit. Makes me remember when he had those two Keyblades, the light one and dark one…_

"Guys, let's get back to the island. It's probably lunch by now, and we can't bother the King forever. Thank you, King Mickey, for helping us." Riku gave the mouse a small bow, then herded the others out of the room. Mickey smiled and watched them go. He heard Roxas voice ask "Wait, who tried to kidnap me and why?" and Riku's "I don't know, ask that book freak friend of yours."

_Please, whatever god there is, please keep that boy safe. He and Sora are the keys to keep the past from repeating itself, and setting three horrible wrongs right. Please, let him stay ignorant and happy just a bit longer._


	12. Chapter 11

_a/n:_ I would've typed this yesterday, but my sis had her first concert. I had to go. She was pretty good(not that you'll ever hear me admit that) for a first year flutist. Or flute player. Whatever you call it. Anyway here's the chappie.

Plus I explain the kidnapping thing. I kinda made it up, just so you know.

**HIPPIE GIRL SAYS:** I LOVE YOU REVIEWERS!! I KISS YOU-CHU!

* * *

Things had returned to normal on the island, at least on the surface. Roxas soon turned back into his fun-loving self and the others stopped worrying after a while. Sora and Riku trained Roxas to be better with the Keyblade on the beach. Every few days someone from the King would come with a Heartless problem for Sora to take care of. They would all go and help, then report back to the castle and go home. This pattern continued for a month before Riku decided to confront the blond boy.

* * *

"Why?" Sora asked his best friend, clearly confused.

"I told you, Roxas hasn't been telling us about his dreams. He did at first, when they were normal, but that second time we went and destroyed Heartless, and he helped, he shut up. And sometimes, after those missions, in the night, I can hear him crying." The older boy was worried and clearly upset over this matter. "We need to help him; if it's that bad he has to hide it from us he needs help."

"But what if he's afraid we'll hate him or something if he tells? Besides, Roxas probably doesn't remember any of the dreams, if he even dreams at all any more. Maybe it's just his body, remembering the past in its own way, like Zexion said." The older man had said Roxas's body might react to the boy using the Keyblade again after so long.

"It doesn't matter. The boy needs help. I admit, that's the only thing you two have in common: both of you are too stubborn to ask for help." Riku grinned at his best friend. Sora huffed and looked away, towards the beach.

"Well, so do you." Neither one talked for a long time; on the beach Roxas was playing tag with some of the island's other residents. Kairi was helping some of the younger ones run from the girl who was It at the moment.

"What about the Keyblade? We both can use it, can't we?" Sora turned back to Riku. For a moment the older boy had no clue what Sora was talking about. Then his mind strayed to a conversation he had accidently overheard at Castle Oblivion.

"_Xigbar?" Zexion sounded surprised, and worried, Riku realized. "You're not supposed to be here, at C.O. Why are you here?"_

"_Why do those two look so similar?" Riku couldn't see the other man, but he sounded strong and almost angry._

"_I don't know-"_

"_You know damn well, Zexion. The boy. The new one-Roxas. Why does he and that…other Keyblade apprentice look so similar?"_

_A heavy sigh. "I don't know exactly why, Xigbar. Maybe he met Sora at some point, and somehow passed some of his, I don't know, essence onto the boy. Either way, they're not the same person, just like he and Sora are different."_

"_You know what? I think you're lying. Maybe I should take the boy back to-"_

"_You will not!" Zexion's furious shout cut the other man off. "You touch a single hair of his, __**Braig**__, and I will send you right back to that pitiful world you call your home and trap you in an eternal nightmare."_

"_Ooh, touchy, __**Inezo**__. Why so protective? Is that Nobody gonna be the one to fix that entire mess?"_

"_For all we know, he might. And he's not a Nobody, Xigbar. You know as well as I do what is needed to truly be a Nobody."_

"_Heh. I know." Silence fell. Riku wondered if he should run before someone saw him. "I'll leave now, Zexion, so calm down a bit. For someone born without a heart, you sure do act human." There was an _fwoosh_ sound and Riku knew that at least one of the Organization members was gone. He was about to run when the other walked out of the room, right past Riku's hiding spot._

"_Stupid fool. What does he know, really, about having a heart? Or acting human? For all he knows, Xemnas and Xenohart lied to us all this time about Nobodies not having hearts." The silver-blue haired man turned slightly, looking at Riku's hiding spot, the turned and left down one of the many corridors in Castle Oblivion._

"Riku?" Sora's voice brought Riku back to the present.

"Huh?" Riku flailed mentally and looked at Sora. "Oh. Sorry. Zoned out there for a minute."

Sora gave him a funny look, then turned back to the beach. "Well, how do you plan to confront Roxas? Any ideas? Maybe you should have Zexion help you. At least tell him what you're going to do so that if something goes wrong and Roxas suddenly appears at King Mickey's castle they'll know why."

"I am. Hopefully, worst won't come to worst and the idiot'll just admit to not telling us." Riku didn't add what might happen of Roxas didn't take kindly to their concern. They both knew he would most likely leave.

* * *

Roxas dreamed almost every night now. Not always about that girl; that was only when he destroyed Heartless with his Keyblade. No, Roxas would guess that he mostly dreamed about his old life in the Organization. He didn't remember; at best, he could barely tell that he dreamed about a specific person or world. Sometimes it had the red head in it; other times it was a man with guns, or someone else with something like a guitar. He never could remember clearly what he dreamed about. And that made him almost glad.

Roxas also became better at hiding what he dreamed. The first time he dreamed about the girl again he thought Riku would ask Roxas about it for sure. But he didn't. No one did. And for that, Roxas was glad.

He learned how to wield the Keyblade better. Now he could take on a few Shadows on his own with no one else's help. That made him feel proud, feel like he was actually needed.

_Nobodies are born without hearts._

Roxas loved it when Zexion came to visit, once a week. He loved reading the books the older man brought; loved listening to stories the man told all four of them.

_The only way to get one is to complete Kingdom Hearts._

They didn't take on another giant Heartless, but heard rumors of a black shadow invading worlds at random then just leaving without doing anything. King Mickey was worried about it, and was trying to track the shadow down to destroy it, whether it was harming people or not.

_It's what friends do. We're friends, right buddy?_

Roxas didn't say it, but thinking about that black shadow gave him a bad feeling, really horrible feeling. He wouldn't say anything about his feelings, though, just like he never planned to tell anyone about the strange voices he heard sometimes.

_Sea-salt ice cream. You like?_

Because as time went on, Roxas knew he was forgetting something. He felt that he was not needed unless he managed to remember that which he had forgotten. Roxas was afraid that if he met that black shadow before remembering his past he would…

_Stupid. I'm your best friend, remember? I care._

…disappear forever.

_That's not true! I would...._

And he was afraid.

* * *

"So, where are we today?" Zexion had come again today, and led the teens on another mission to destroy Heartless. Riku looked around; this world was a wasteland, hands down. Ruins, burned patches of trees, broken bridges, crumbling walls, the works.

"King Mickey said that this world has suddenly run out of Heartless."

"Waaaaiiit, isn't that a good thing?" Sora looked around as well, noticing how silent Roxas was. For once. The boy almost never shut up when they reached a new world.

"No. According to our research, that black shadow only appears in worlds that have virtually lost all of their Heartless."

"So we're here in hopes of catching that black shadow thing. Gotcha." Sora and Riku turned into watchmen, searching for anything that moved in the barren wasteland. Kairi stuck close to Roxas, who, at second glance, looked almost sick. She considered saying something about it, but decided not to.

Not that the others didn't notice on their own. Zexion could feel the wrongness in the air, and guessed Roxas could too. Riku figured that it was all the ice cream he and Sora had eaten yesterday. Sora thought Roxas was just feeling sick from staying up so late all the time. Roxas knew there was something wrong here, in this world, something evil and cruel. He though he would throw up if they stayed here much longer.

"Look." Riku's hushed whisper made everyone stare at the building in front of them. As they watched, a shadow seemed to cover it, seemed to sink into the building. Then-

"Oh my god." Kairi was nearly crying. The building had imploded on the spot. Everyyhing near it, including a few mice and a rabbit, had disappeared. Then the shadow that was left grew and expanded, growing until it stood several feet taller than even Zexion. It grew a head, with silver hair and cruel eyes. The mouth twisted in a sneer, and it directed its loud, booming words at the only unfrozen member of the group.

"So, boy, you thought you could escape me and my Organization?" The sneer grew even crueler as the rest of the body slowly formed.

Roxas was shaking were he stood. His blue eyes were locked onto the figure in front of him. The figure grew an arm and slowly reached for Roxas.

"You thought wrong, you Nobody! No one can escape me, never! You think you're one of them, a Somebody, when you're nothing but a fake person!" The thing reached back, grabbed a bolt made of pure darkness, and prepared to throw it at the pale, shaking boy.


	13. Chapter 12

_a/n:_ HAHAHA finally. Sorry, kinda late, but I just beat FF Tactics Advance for the GBA. And cried, per usual after beating a game.

Anyway. No cliff hanger this time, or not as bad as the last one. Have fun.

P.S: Don't hate me

**HIPPIE GIRL SAYS:...**FORGOT WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY. OH YEAH-DATTEBAYO!

* * *

"_Hey! Don't just stand there-do something!"_

"Roxas! Move!" Riku shout released everyone from the spell. He ran and tackled Roxas just as the thing's hand threw the dark bolt. They crashed to the ground as Sora finally summoned his Keyblade and charged the shadow.

"Get off of me!" Roxas rolled out from under Riku and ran after Sora, Keyblade in hand. Kairi ran back while Zexion pulled Riku up and they both charged as well.

"Mwahahaha!" The giant shadow seemed to find two Keyblade masters running at him amusing. "You bugs, you are nothing compared to me! The things I've done, the things I've seen, would destroy pipsqueaks like you!"

"Like hell!" Something was wrong with Roxas. Just a moment ago he was practically sick, and now he was pissed off. Extremely pissed off. Riku got one glance of his face and was instantly reminded of the last time they fought, when the boy had been wielding two Keyblades and severely angry-angry enough to try and destroy the Organization in his own. When he first had that feeling of forgetting something…

"Riku! Pay attention!" Zexion had to drag the boy out of the way of another dark bolt. "Come on, who does this feel like to you?"

Riku stared at the older man, confused. "Who does it feel-" Wait. That malicious, that cruelty, the bolts of darkness, yes, it all was familiar. "Xemnas…" he breathed. "But that's impossible."

"I'm alive. Roxas is still here. Nothing's impossible at the moment."

"Come here! Fight like a man you Heartless!" Sora had joined Roxas in running around the shadow, trying to trip it up and score a few hits at the same time. "Roxas, watch out!"

Another bolt missed. Roxas jumped onto a nearby wall and from there onto a building. He began hacking at the shadow's chest. "Ha! You can't defeat all of us! You've already lost!"

"Have I, Roxas? You are the one with no memory here. And why is that so? Did you lose something important, maybe, or do you just want to forget?" The shadow, almost fully formed now, taunted Roxas. "I have power, and you, you have nothing. No friends, no name, no home, nothing. You are a Nobody-"

"Stop calling me that!" Roxas yelled. Gripping his Keyblade in one hand, he leapt off the building and onto the shadow. It yelled, and fell back several steps. Flailing its arms around, one hit Roxas and sent him flying.

"Roxas!" Kairi ran to where the boy landed only to find him already standing up, completely unharmed. "Roxas?"

He ignored her, glaring at the shadow in front of him instead. The hand holding the Keyblade tightened, and suddenly he grabbed it with his other hand. Kairi gasped as he seemed to rip the Keyblade in two.

"You bastard!" Roxas charged once more, the split Keyblade in both hands. Riku turned, afraid that the boy was going to kill himself. What he saw instead froze him.

Darkness in one hand. Light in the other.

"Oblivion and Oathkeeper…" No. That was impossible. The last time he wielded those two was just after-

"Nggh!" Riku fell to one knee, clutching his head. A few feet away Zexion was doing the same thing. Memories rushed into Riku's head, filling it until Riku thought he would go insane. Pictures, places, faces all poured into his brain; flashing, flashing, flashing, until he could only see one image. A girl with cerulean eyes, black hair, and a Keyblade.

"You bastard!" Roxas yelled again. "Give her back!" He ran forward, intending to charge Xemnas's shadow once more. He didn't notice the cloud of darkness forming behind the shadow.

"Roxas!" Riku shoved himself off the ground and forced himself to run after the blond. He managed to catch him a few feet away from the Heartless. "No! You'll get sucked into the darkness, you idiot! Think! She wanted you do live, didn't she? So pay attention!"

"No!" Roxas struggled, but he couldn't break loose from Riku's arms around his chest, keeping his arms stuck to his sides. "No! Give her back! Give her back!" He kept yelling even as the shadow fell into the cloud with another evil laugh. As the shadow disappeared, Roxas gave one final shout.

"GIVE XION BACK!" He tried to escape Riku one last time, then fell limp in his arms, Keyblades falling to the ground. Riku caught the boy, and watched as the dark portal disappeared, leaving him alone with the unconscious blond.

* * *

Kairi and Sora didn't have any time to react as the shadow disappeared. As soon as the black cloud was gone, so were they. With a loud _BANG!_ they found themselves in King Mickey's throne room.

"What was that?"

"Go find King Mickey!"

"Send for a healer I think someone's hurt!"

"Riku." Zexion looked sick; he grabbed Sora and Kairi and dragged them up the stairs and into King Mickey's library. Riku followed close behind with the unconscious Roxas. The King looked up as they entered, clearly upset, but was cut off by Zexion.

"We saw that damn shadow all right. And it's not what we thought it was. Roxas also wasn't who we thought he was either." Zexion collapsed onto a chair. Sora and Kairi followed suit after exchanging a glance. Riku left the room carrying the blond.

"Where is Riku going with Roxas? And what exactly happened back there?" Sora questioned. He watched as Riku re-entered the room a few minutes later, and still no one had answered him. "Well? What happened back there? Riku? Zexion?" He looked at one, then the other.

"Zexion?" King Mickey questioned as well. Zexion had a hand over his face, and was shaking, badly.

"The shadow. It's made of Xemnas's left-over hatred and malicious from Hollow Bastion. Had his memories as well, and taunted Roxas some. Then left. Don't know where," he choked out after a pause. Riku looked as bad as Zexion sounded.

"And then?" Mickey continued gently.

"The Replica program. I'm going to be sick. It was a success. The first Replica…copy of Kairi from Sora's memories. Made to absorb his power and memories as they slipped through his Nobody. Put her in the Organization. Number XIV. Xion."

Kairi gasped when he said 'copy of Kairi' and looked over at Riku. He was sitting slumped in a chair, staring at the ground. His hands were shaking.

"Sent her on missions. With Roxas, sometimes. She started to take his power away. Met Riku, and learned the truth. Ran away…twice. Aided by Riku both times. Captured and brought back both times. Then…"

"She learned the complete truth from Namine, about what she was doing to Roxas and Sora." Riku picked up where Zexion left off. "Decided to go back into Sora, and give Roxas back his power so he could live on. Axel brought her back, again, Xemnas reprogrammed her to absorb Roxas, and sent her after the AWOL member. He had decided to leave, too, after finally learning he was Sora's Nobody. They fought…" Riku trailed off. Sora and Kairi watched him, both horrified by the story.

"And he ended up with two Keyblades. Oblivion and Oathkeeper, he called them. Darkness and light. Was attempting a coup d'état on the Organization, but I stopped him. We fought, I won, took him to Namine, and that's where we aren't sure what happened." Riku continued to stare at the floor. Everyone else, except Zexion, was horrified.

"But…that means…shouldn't you not remember Xion?" Kairi asked.

"Well, I'm going to guess that Xemnas's words never got to Roxas. He never truly believed him when he said Nobodies don't have hearts. We are born without one, but that doesn't mean we can't grow one of our own. All we have to do is let go of the person we once were, and live our own lives. Roxas never remembered being Sora, not completely at least, and so he began to grow his own heart."

"So that means…what?" Sora asked Zexion, still confused. King Mickey answered.

"Since Roxas had his own heart, it's safe to say that was the reason Namine saved him. Two hearts in one body, and one carrying memories of someone that is not supposed to exist, would likely destroy Sora. So Roxas was saved. A Replica is basically the same thing as a Nobody, correct Zexion?" He nodded. "So I would assume that neither of them truly believed Xemnas, and even if they did believe him, it wouldn't have mattered. Their hearts would grow anyway, believed in or not."

"And since Xion was starting to grow her own heart, she was starting to become a real person." Kairi caught onto the King's thought. "But then, why didn't Riku remember until just now?"

"Xenohart," Riku muttered. "When we fought, Roxas and me, I wasn't strong enough, not against those two Keyblades and all that hatred inside him. I had to let the darkness take over, and Xenohart probably sealed the memories away. Either that, or Namine did it herself without anyone knowing."

"So…since Roxas remembered, everyone does now too? Does he remember everything, or just Xion?" Sora asked.

"Everything. He knew that shadow was Xemnas, or at least all his anger and hate." Zexion looked at the door. "I think someone should stay with him until he wakes up. Otherwise, I bet he'll just take off once he wakes up, and then we'll never be able to find him."

"Okay. I'll go," Sora quickly offered. Riku gave him a look, and Kairi looked at him as well.

"But shouldn't…"

"No, Sora is good. Kairi, I'm sorry, but if it were you, Roxas would probably freak out. You and Xion look remarkably alike." Zexion shook his head, a little less pale now. Riku slowly nodded, agreeing with the older man.

"Well, if anything, someone needs to go back and see if the shadow truly left that world. You also need to make sure it didn't follow your trail back to your home world," Mickey said. Kairi and Riku nodded.

"Alright, but we'll be right back. Don't let anything important happen while we're gone!" Zexion gave a half-smile at Kairi's outburst. He waved half-heartedly as they both left the room.

"Sora, you should go down to Roxas's room now," Zexion reminded the boy, who was sitting on his chair staring off into space.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'll be going. See ya!" King Mickey and Zexion watched, amused, as the Keyblade master ran out the door, slid, tripped, then got up and ran down the hallway out of sight.

"Here's to hoping that this mess will not be as bad as that last one."

* * *

Sora tip-toed into the dark room. He could barely make out the lump on the bed that was Roxas. Making his way over to a lamp, Sora was just about to turn it on when the lump suddenly jumped on him.

"What're you-"

"Hey wait up-"

"Get off-"

"Sora? Oh, sorry. Thought you were someone else." Roxas rolled off the other boy and turned on the lamp. Both boys blinked in the sudden light.

"Bad dream?" Sora looked at the blond. He did look a bit tired, and angry, and sad all at the same time. "Next time try not to jump me, alright? Who did you think I was?"

"Yeah, sorry. I though you were…" Roxas trailed off, staring at the carpet. He jumped up and dragged Sora over to the window. "C'mon, I gotta get out of here. Come with me, Sora."

"Wait, where? We gotta tell the others-they're all waiting for you to wake up."

"Don't care. I have to leave. Let's go to Twilight Town."

"Fine but we'll leave a note, ok?" Roxas nodded. Sora ran over to the desk, grabbed paper and a pen, and wrote _Gone to Twilight Town. Back later._ He taped it to the door, facing the hall, and then ran back to where Roxas had opened a portal.

"Let's go." And with that, both boys disappeared.

* * *

Roxas and Sora sat on top of the clock tower, watching the sunset. "You did this everyday, Roxas?"

"Yeah, after missions. I'd come up here with Axel and Xion, and we'd eat sea-salt ice cream. He said it was the icing on the cake after a mission. I didn't get it, we ate ice cream not cake, but we did it almost everyday. Like a tradition. Our tradition." Roxas watched the sunset, caught up in past memories.

"Does it hurt? I mean, having all your memories again?"

Roxas considered Sora's questioned. "Not really, just knowing that everyone else is gone hurts the most. Knowing that I'll never see any of them again, except in my memories." He looked down, at the people below. As Sora watched, a single tear fell. He didn't say anything else, just sat there with Roxas and watched the sunset.


	14. Chapter 13

_a/n: _Note to self: do not read latest Gakuen Alice manga chapters right before typing up new chappie. Oh man, poor Yuka and Mikan and Shiki and everyone else except the ESP.

Oh well. Have fun. And I'm not going to be home again till Saturday so no new chappies till then.

**HIPPIE GIRL SAYS:** DATTEBAYO ONCE MORE AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING IF YOU CELEBRATE IT. PEACE OUT FOR THREE DAYS.

* * *

"Maybe we should send someone after them. It's been an hour."

"Kairi, what Roxas needs most right now is alone time."

"And answers."

"Yes Roxas, you also want answers. When the hell did you get back?"

Riku glared accusingly at the blond. Next to him Sora rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh…two seconds ago?"

Roxas stared back at Riku emotionlessly. He was suddenly reminded of the time when he was still part of the Organization and had been like a zombie. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Well, if you want answers sit down. Kairi, you can beat those two up later all you want, but be quiet for now." Zexion motioned at the door and windows; they were covered with a blue film. "Keeps out eavesdroppers. Now, what would you like to know, Roxas? Now that you're up and alive."

"What happened to Namine?"

"She went back inside of me, Roxas. She was my Nobody," Kairi replied. Roxas shook his head.

"That doesn't make sense; you're a Heart Princess. You don't have any darkness in your heart. Well, whatever. Did the World That Never Was disappear or is it still here?"

"Uh…" Zexion, Riku, and Mickey exchanged looks. "You'll have to go find that out yourself. Me, I've only been prowling around Castle Oblivion looking for clues about the Replica program and anything else Vexen was working on."

Roxas nodded and fell silent. Speaking very quietly, he asked the carpet, "What will happen to me now?"

"You're staying with us on Destiny Islands, of course. Unless you want to leave, then you can go where ever you want." Riku gently kicked the other boy's chair; he looked up at Riku.

"But don't you…never mind. What happened to that shadow of Xemnas?"

King Mickey shook his head. "We don't know. It just disappeared from the world and left no trace of its presence. We can't even track its movements, so at the moment you can't go crazy on it. However, if we do find it, you can beat it up all you like."

Roxas smiled for the first time. His blue eyes, which had looked so dull when he first came into the room, lit up again. "Yeah, I'd love to give Xemnas a piece of my mind. Even if it's only a shadow, it'll feel good." He turned to look at the filmed over windows. "Why hasn't anyone said anything about Xion? You did explain everything to Sora and Kairi, right? So why haven't you asked me anything yet?"

Zexion bit his lip and looked away. "I though it only fair to let you ask all the questions first. Hell, I thought I was lucky you didn't just bust in the door and knock me out." He turned back to the emotionless again blond. "Do you remember everything?"

"I don't remember being Sora. His memories, I mean. I know I had them, I just can't remember them anymore. Namine took them away, didn't she? Well, duh, Sora's sitting right in front of me. Of course she took them. Why do I remember…everything?"

No one asked what he meant. They all knew. _Why do I remember Xion?_ "Roxas, the best way I can explain it in terms you would understand is that during your time as an Organization member, you and Xion grew hearts off each other."

Roxas turned back to the group with a 'Huh?' face. Everyone else was just as confused. "What does that mean?"

Zexion sighed. He's back, he thought. "Xemnas lied. Nobodies are born without hearts, correct, but we can gain one without Kingdom Hearts. All you had to do is let go of your past and live your own life. Since you didn't have memories of being Sora, and Xion was basically a Nobody, you two began to grow hearts. It didn't help that neither of you fully believed Xemnas, nor completely followed him. Even though Xion soon began to fulfill her…purpose as a Replica, she still was becoming a real person. Which is why you, Roxas, still remember her. You acted as the trigger to get everyone else to remember her as well."

Roxas nodded, slowly absorbing everything the older man had said. "So…basically because me and Xion didn't like Xemnas and Saix we grew hearts and were becoming real people. At least, she was. I was just growing a heart, right?"

Riku started laughing. He couldn't help it. The blunt way Roxas put everything Zexion said, in his own words, plus the look on his face, the look of total confusion, pushed Riku over the edge. He just couldn't help but laugh. And everyone else, including the King and the blond himself, joined him after a moment.

"Alright, quiet down now. So, Roxas, to put it bluntly, yes. You were growing a heart-and still are, in fact. It is a great thing, to grow a heart from practically nothing. I've been alive for ten years, almost eleven now, and I'm still not sure if I have fully grown a heart yet."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not sure if I have truly forgotten Inezo. The person I once was. In any case, do you have anymore questions?" Roxas noticed the way Zexion changed the subject from the person he once was. He stored that fact away in the back of his mind.

"Not really. Actually, yeah. Why did you say Xigbar want to kidnap me? He never seemed to notice me much except when we went on missions together. Then he was kinda…I don't know, he acted like an older mentor, just a bit…twisted." It amazed Roxas how calm he was, considering that everyone he knew was gone. "And how did…wait, I don't want to know. Forget it."

_Did you really mean that? When I said no now would miss me and you said 'That's no true! ...I would.' Axel? Did you really miss me?_

"Uh, well, Roxas, you bear an uncanny resemblance to someone we once knew a very long time ago. He thought you might've been…him. But don't worry; you're not. You're Roxas, and Ven is-was Ven." Zexion looked pale again at his slip-up. King Mickey looked over at him with an inaudible hiss.

"Who's Ven?" And of course Sora would pick up on the unknown name. "He and Roxas look similar, do they? Can we meet him?"

King Mickey glared at Zexion, and then calmly turned back to the others. "No, Sora. I doubt you will ever get the chance to meet Ven. He is…no longer able to meet anyone." Riku and Sora heard the unsaid words. _He's dead._

"Roxas? Any more questions?" King Mickey turned back the silent boy. He was staring at the carpet again, hands clutching at the chair tightly.

"Just one. What…what happened to-to…what happened to…" Roxas, try as he might, couldn't finish his question.

"What happened to what, Roxas?" Kairi asked, trying to pry the words out of the boy. He shook his head, more agitated than ever.

"…things….Her things…where are…?"

Zexion immediately understood. "The cloak you have, we know that much. But everything else…it's gone. Disappeared. I'm sorry."

Roxas gave a mocking laugh. "I figured as much. Why did I even bother to ask? Everything about her, even the memories, disappeared when she did." He stared at the carpet, trying not to let the tears he felt forming fall.

Kairi looked over at him and bit her lip. "Please, if that's all, let us go home. We're all tired and-and I think we need time to, um, absorb everything we heard." The unsaid message was clear: Roxas needed alone time, now. Before he lost it.

"Alright. If that's everything, you may return home. Zexion, can you please go to my personnel library and get that book for me? You four go home and rest up; no hunting Heartless for a while, I think. Good-bye." King Mickey watched as the four teens slowly walked out of the room, Riku having to lead Roxas. He shook his head once they and Zexion had left.

_Please, don't let this become an even bigger mess than last time. These children deserve to live right and not be bothered with the affairs of those stupid enough to try and change all the worlds. Not again. Please, let them set things right once and for all._

* * *

"I'm going to bed," Roxas announced as soon as the group had arrived back at Destiny Islands.

"No, wait Roxas; I need to talk to you." Riku followed the blond into the house. "Wait up. We have to talk Roxas."

"No we don't. Leave me alone, Riku. I want to be alone."

"You dreamed about her a lot, didn't you? And you never said anything about it. Why?"

"What was I supposed to say? That I'm dreaming about a girl I think I once knew, only I can't remember her name of face and it made my chest hurt every time I thought about her, or my past?" Roxas turned around and glared at Riku. The older boy could see that the blond's eyes were filling up with tears.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. Roxas didn't answer. He just turned and ran into their shared bedroom.

Roxas curled up on his bed. That doesn't matter, he thought. Sorry doesn't cut it. Sorry won't give me my old life back, it won't give me my old best friend back, it won't bring Xion back. She was never going to come back. This time, Roxas didn't ry to stop the tears that fell.


	15. Chapter 14

_a/n:_ Blargles

**HIPPIE GIRL SAYS:** SCREW HOLIDAYS. EXCEPT FOT THE FOOD AND PRESENTS THEY SUCK. I HATE IDIOTS.

* * *

"Is he up yet?" Kairi asked Riku the next morning. It was almost lunch, and Roxas hadn't come outside yet.

"No." When Riku had gone to bed last night the blond had been silent, curled up into a ball on his bed. He hadn't moved that morning when Riku left either. "Don't worry; he'll get up when he feels like it. I mean, we were a mess too when we lost each other. At least we knew we'd see each other again. Roxas…"

"Yeah, I know. Fine, just watch out for him when he does get up, please? Be nice to him."

"When am I not nice? Alright Kairi, I will. Now go. Shoo. Go play on the beach with Sora or something." Riku waved Kairi away. He sat on the palm tree, watching the waves. Thinking about yesterday. The way Roxas had acted. And those questions he never asked. What they would have been…

"Hey." Riku turned.

"Roxas. Hey. Nice to see you up. Hungry?" Roxas shook his head and stood next to Riku, watching the waves as well. To the older boy, he seemed tired, and drained, and had that feeling of giving up around him.

"…" Roxas shook his head again and looked down. "Riku, do you hate me?"

"What? No, why would I?" Riku was shocked; what had given the blond that idea? "If you're talking about yesterday, when I yelled at you and Sora for suddenly disappearing, I was just upset. I don't hate you, Roxas. I was just worried."

"But we fought, when I…you beat me, and took me to where Sora was. Why would you do that, if you didn't hate me?" Roxas stared at the sand, looking beaten. Riku was shocked silent for a moment.

"Roxas, first of all, I only met you a handful of times before, and hadn't seen enough of you to hate. I was just trying to get my best friend's memories back so he could wake up. I didn't hate you; I just wanted to have Sora back. Didn't you ever have a best friend you would do anything for?"

"Yeah, well, before everything went crazy. I would've done anything he asked me to…." Roxas trailed off, watching the seagulls fly overhead. "Maybe you could answer a question no one in the Organization could."

"Shoot. And sit down, you look tired." Riku reached over and pulled the blond onto the palm tree. Roxas didn't notice; he just sat there, eyes unfocused.

"What is love?"

Riku blinked. Twice. Three times. Love. What is love? "Uh, well, love is…" Love is…love is… "It's kinda like a feeling, but not really. Like, you care for another person a lot, and want to protect them, and make them happy. Things like that." Love…

"Oh. So you and Sora love each other?"

"WHAT? No, we're best friends. We like each other, but that's, like, a different kind of love. The type of love most people talk about is between, um, two people of the opposite gender." Riku couldn't believe Roxas had just said that. Good thing they were alone. Or so he thought.

"Roxas! You…you..." Kairi couldn't speak she was laughing so hard. Riku glared at her just as Roxas opened his mouth once more.

"So like Sora and Kairi, right? They love each other." Oh Roxas, Riku thought. You poor, poor boy. Maybe we should teach him not to say the first thing that pops into his head. Or maybe we should teach him to do it all the time.

"What! No!" Kairi squealed, hands on her very red cheeks. Sora had come up behind her and also heard that last part. "Sora and I-it's not like that. See, we're just friends-"

"No way. Even Roxas thinks so. It's obvious you two have a thing going on." Riku was grinning and laughing. He couldn't believe how much he was enjoying himself.

"Riku! What have you been telling Roxas? I'm going to kill you!" Sora was just as red as Kairi. He launched himself at Riku, tackling the laughing boy to the ground. Roxas watched, smiling himself, as Sora tried to push Riku into the water.

"Aw, come on Sora, leave him alone. I asked him what love was, and he answered. It's not his fault." Roxas tried to defend the silver-haired boy.

"Roxas, from now on, ask me any and all questions you have. I will give you the answers you need, or tell you who you can get them from. Someone you can trust." Kairi shook her head at the two wrestling boys; now Riku had Sora in a half-nelson.

"Alright. But Riku said that if you love someone you want to protect them and make them happy and stuff. You and Sora are like that so I thought you two loved each other." Roxas turned to the girl, eyes looking the way they had a month ago, before he had to deal with nightmares and returning memories.

"Well, yeah, we do care for each other, but! There are different types of love, Roxas. Like between friends, children and their parents, students and teachers. A pet and its owner. King Mickey and his subjects. Common relationships you see every day. There's a different type of love in all of them." Kairi tried her best to describe what love was, but had a hard time. She had never really thought about it before, the types of love there were. And Roxas, who didn't know what it was, who hadn't grown up with it, would want to know all about it of course.

"Oh. So like between me and Axel, there was a best friend type of love?" Roxas turned back to the waves, biting his lip. The pained look returned to his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess." Sora and Riku stopped fighting and stood up. Riku sat next to the silent blond and put a hand on his shoulder. "You alright?"

Roxas nodded, slowly. "I think…I think I was in love with Xion. And I never knew it, cause every said I couldn't feel emotions. I was, and I couldn't even keep her from…." He shook his head, hard, and turned away.

"Hey." Sora came up on Roxas's other side. "You tried your best, just stronger and more evil people were fighting against you. At least you can remember, and keep those memories forever. That way, no one will truly die in your heart."

"Yeah. Yeah." Roxas tilted his head back. He kept leaning back until all three boys fell backwards into the sand.

"Roxas! You're dead!" Sora punched Roxas lightly, who gave a pained laugh and threw sand back. "Hey! No sand throwing!"

"Make me!" Roxas called back, jumping up and running for the beach. "Catch me if you can slowpoke!" Sora ran after him, yelling insults back.

Riku sat up, shaking sand off his clothes. He watched the two teens chase each other, then turned to Kairi. "Looks like he's the same as he was before. After he left, I mean. He wasn't like he was before, when I first met him. Didn't trust even the Organization, though they did their best to brainwash him. Guess his want to learn about himself and why he had the Keyblade overpowered the brainwashing. Roxas, before, was a kid almost, playing around and laughing even."

"A bit like he was when he had no memories," Kairi added. "I wish he didn't remember. He was so much happier without knowing. I wish Namine was here and could seal his memories off permanently."

"She's not, and I bet she wouldn't. Why else would she allow him to remember Xion? If he wasn't supposed to know about her then he wouldn't have remembered. I think that there is more going on behind the scenes here than we realize. And at the heart of it all is Roxas, with King Mickey and Zexion protecting the truth. Keeping it from us. Next time I see Zexion I'll beat him up until he tells me the truth about what's going on."

"Riku." Kairi gave him a look. "Don't. Just ask. Maybe he'll tell us if we're nice and don't kill him, or try to at least."

"Whatever. Roxas and Sora are gone. We better go find them before they blow up the island or something."

* * *

Two hours later they still hadn't found either boy. Riku was about to tear his hair out with frustration.

"Where the hell are they?" he yelled at the sky. Next to him, Kairi was about to say something when another voice cut her off.

"Hi Riku, hi Kairi. Want some ice cream?" Roxas and Sora were sitting on a rock about four feet above Riku and Kairi. On the ground next to the rock was a small bag of ice cream. "I would've told you I left, but I didn't see you, so I figured a few minutes wouldn't matter much. I forgot time runs differently in Twilight Town; it goes faster than it does here."

Riku stared at the two boys eating ice cream. Kairi laughed and shook her head. "What kind of ice cream is it, Roxas?" she asked, taking a bar from the bag. Riku grabbed one as well just as she took a lick. "Ooh, sweet and salty at the same time. It tastes so weird, yet good!"

"Everyone says that first time they have sea-salt ice cream. Good, huh?" Roxas grinned at Sora, and laughed at the expression on Riku's face when he tasted the ice cream.

"Bleh. And you had this every day after missions too. It's a wonder you didn't get sick." Riku shook his head, eating the ice cream anyway. Roxas just swung his legs and grinned.

After a long time he spoke up again. "Hey, do any do you know why the sun sets red?" They all shook their head no. "Light is made of all the colors, see? And red travels the farthest, so we see it when the sun sets. Cool, huh?"

"Yeah." Kairi smiled up at Roxas. She turned back to the sun, nowhere near setting, and watched the clouds float by. "Yeah. It's nice." No one noticed the way Roxas stared at his popsicle stick, nor the shell he clutched in one hand. If anyone had looked, all they would've been able to see of it was a little pink ridge.

* * *

"What?" Zexion stared at the boy standing before him in shock and almost horror.

"I want to go hunt Heartless in the worlds, like the way I did before. I want to find that shadow and destroy it once and for all." Roxas stared at the older man with a determined air, not planning to step down. He was going to do this with or without anyone's permission. Like Zexion had said, Roxas was his own person now. No one controlled him but himself.

"You…" Zexion leaned back in his chair and sighed. How the boy had found him in Castle Oblivion Zexion would never know. The place was a freaking maze, and he was still found. "You do realize that you no longer need to live the way you did before? You can do whatever you want now." Those blue eyes still looked determined. "Alright, I'll talk to Mickey about it. No more than one world a day if you are allowed, got it?"

Roxas nodded. "Why, Roxas?"

"I have to do something or I'll go crazy. There's all this energy inside me, trying to break free. It has to go somewhere." Roxas clutched at his chest with one hand. The other was still holding the shell. "I know what all of it is. It's Xion. Everything, I absorbed it all when…I have to let it out or it'll destroy me and then no one will remember Xion for who she is. Please Zexion, I have to."

"Zexion studied the boy in front of him. He had aged since he got his memories back. "I know, Roxas. When she disappeared, Sora's memories went back to him, but you got stuck with everything else. Xion is now part of you. And it's tearing you apart. That's why Namine saved you; two, no, three people all in the same body would've killed all of you." He watched the blond for a moment, then put a hand on his shoulder.

"Roxas?" Slowly, he looked up. "Never give up. If it wasn't for you, Xion never would have become what she is in your memories. Because of you, she is still alive in our hearts. And you just may be able to bring her back someday, if you never give up. If you never give into the darkness, like you do at the end, and stay on the path of light."

"I want her back," Roxas whispered, voice breaking. "It hurts, Zexion, I don't want a heart if it'll hurt this much. I can't stand it anymore! Axel, Demyx, Xion, everyone's gone and I'm the only one left! Why me? Why?"

Zexion watched as tears starting falling down the blond's face. He shook his head, and pulled the boy towards him. "I'm sorry, Roxas. This is the way it has to be. Now that it's begun, we can't stop it. I'm sorry." Roxas just stayed silent, tears streaming down his face. Zexion shook his head, wishing that Roxas didn't have to go through this.

_But to get a heart he must. Everyone feels this pain, only they don't remember because they were just babies then. To feel it, and to know you are alone in this pain, is the worst. Please, let this end soon. Let this mess get cleaned up and let everything go back to the way it is supposed to be._

"I'm still going," Roxas murmured into Zexion's shirt. "You can't stop me this time."

"Fine. Just don't get killed, or I'll get killed by your friends." _Please hurry up and find that world. We need all of them back, now. It's time to end this._


	16. Chapter 15

_a/n:_ Hahaha, I had fun writing the conversation between Riku and Roxas. Mostly because something similar had happened to my friend. His nephew(4) implied that he and his best friend were in love with each other. That was funny.

Did I spell Demyx wrong? I can't tell. Tell me if I did.

P.S: Anyone here read/watch Black Cat? Hehe, I want a Train plushie now.

**HIPPIE GIRL SAYS:**IDIOTS SUCK. HELP ME RID THE WORLD OF THEM. I WILL GIVE YOU COOKIES.

* * *

Roxas landed silently on the sand. The reflected moonlight from the waves sent flickers of light washing over him. He trend quietly over to the house, knowing he was about to get an earful for running away again. Riku didn't disappoint him.

"So Zexion tells me you want to hunt Heartless like you did before." The silver-haired boy sat in front of the house, watching the moon rise on the horizon. "Then he thought you came right back here, and was surprised to find you missing once more. Where were you?"

Roxas plopped down next to Riku. He pulled a bag off his shoulder and opened it. "The World That Never Was. I was getting the rest of my stuff, and anything else I saw that caught my interest." Reaching into the bag, he pulled out three books and a small chain with a heart on the end. "Found this on the beach before I left. Thought it might belong to someone here, but so far everyone's said no."

"You gonna keep it?" Riku asked, reaching for one of the books in Roxas's other hand. He looked at the cover; it was in a language he couldn't read. "What is this? A magic book?"

"You wish. Found it in, uh, Marluxia's room, I think it was. Not sure since I never went in anyone's room but my own. And Xion's, too, when she was asleep for days. It looked weird, so I grabbed it and two others in Saix's room. All of them are in strange languages, but if you look at this one you can almost read it." He held out an open book the Riku.

"Huh. Weird. So what are you going to do now? Leave and hunt Heartless on your own again?"

"No, I…wanted to do it like before, all of us going to one world together. I don't want to leave you guys, and be alone again, like I was when I was searching for you, Riku. I just want to find that shadow of Xemnas and destroy it, and destroy all the Heartless, too. Besides, Zexion said one world per day, just like my old missions." Roxas put the books away, and pulled out a handful of shells. "And…I don't want you guys to hate me."

"Don't worry Roxas; I think it's impossible to hate you. If anything, Xemnas and everyone hated you cause you acted just like a normal person and they couldn't." Riku smiled at the blond. He stood up and stretched his arms. "Now come on. It's late, and we need to sleep if we're going Heartless hunting in the morning."

Roxas smiled back and nodded. "Yeah." He followed Riku inside with one last look at the rising moon.

* * *

"Roxas? What are you doing? We're leaving now!" Kairi frowned at the house; Riku had explained the day's agenda and why to her and Sora. They both agreed, Kairi because the shadow had given her real bad feelings, and Sora because he wanted to become a better Keyblade wielder. That, and he said life on the island was boring now that he had traveled to so different worlds and fought Heartless in most of them.

"Roxas! I'm gonna go get him in a minute if he doesn't show up." Riku hid a grin at the girl's impatience. She walked back and forth on the beach, glaring at the house every time she passed it. "That's it; I'm going to find him. Roxas! Get out here now!" She stormed into the house.

"What's her problem?" Sora asked Riku. The boy shrugged.

"No clue."

"Roxas!" Kairi stormed into his shared room. He jumped off the bed, stuffing something into the bag at the foot of his bed. "What were you doing?"

"Nothing. Let's go already." Roxas ran out of the room, shoving a pencil into his pocket. "Oh yeah. Here, I found this yesterday on the beach and nobody claimed it. You can have it." He held out the chain with the heart on the end to the girl.

"Oh, it's so pretty. Thanks Roxas." She pocketed the chain and stepped outside again.

"We going now?" Riku looked at Roxas. He nodded. "Where to, chief?"

"Uh…" Roxas tilted his head sideways, thinking. "Um, let's try Agrabah today. That place was always filled with Heartless every time I went there. And if we can't find any, I know one of their favorite hiding places. Everyone ready?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're going now. Through the portal children!" Riku opened a portal while Sora protested at his words. Riku ignored him and just pushed him through the portal. Kairi followed, giggling, while Roxas grinned as he went last.

* * *

Agrabah had Heartless problems, all right.

"Riku! Watch where you open the portal next time! We were almost eaten by that giant flying Heartless!"

"Dustflyer, Sora."

"Whatever!"

"I warned you guys this place was full of Heartless. At least it's not as bad as Beast's castle the first time I went there to destroy Heartless. I ended up in a Heartless's nest and almost got ripped to shreds." Roxas dusted his clothes off. He had taken a tumble when the giant Heatless had flown at them, nearly beheading Sora. "At least those small floating ones kept getting in its way so it couldn't charge us again."

Sora just shook his head and shook his clothes free of sand in angry silence. Riku grinned. "Maybe next time you'll go through the portal prepared to fight. You need to learn how to do that. Kairi, you alright?"

"Yeah." She had been knocked into a sand pile. Protected, but the sand got all in her clothes. Riku had been standing to the side so he hadn't been knocked down. He was the only one who was sand free. For the moment, if the winds had anything to say about it.

"C'mon. I can sense more of them over this way. Be ready." Roxas led the way to another market square. This one was also filled with no people and a lot of Heartless. "They must've scared everyone away, or the sandstorm's keeping them inside. Hope one doesn't hit while we're here. They're horrible."

"You got stuck in one?" Roxas nodded, blushing slightly. "I'm not even going to ask how."

"It was Axel's idea to go exploring," he muttered in response. Riku grinned. "Sora, see that ledge there? If you climb up, you can follow it around so you're behind the Heatless. We'll hit from the front, and you keep them from escaping out the gates over there." Sora nodded and climbed up, reaching down to help Kairi up as well. "Ready, Riku?"

"On the count of three. One, two…three! Charge!" Riku ran forward, slashing at the flying Heartless. Roxas went straight for the large Heartless at the center. Sora began attacking from the back as well, while Kairi threw rocks at nearby Heartless to knock them silly so they boys could destroy them easy.

"Arg!" Roxas had beaten the Heartless, but was assaulted by five of the flying ones. He swung his Keyblades out in an arc, then threw Oathkeeper into the air. Using a nearby Heartless for leverage, he jumped up, grabbed the flying Keyblade, and swung them both out in double arcs. The Heartless near him were destroyed; Roxas threw both Keyblades this time, one at Kairi and the other at Riku.

"Riku! Kairi! Heads up!" Both looked up to see the Keyblades flying at them. Riku grabbed Oblivion while Kairi caught Oathkeeper. Riku then began slaying nearby Heartless with both his weapon and Roxas's while Kairi managed to keep the Heartless away from her, destroying a few in the process.

"Roxas! You idiot! Don't throw your weapons away!" Sora ran to where Roxas had landed, swinging his Keyblades left and right to keep the Heartless away.

"Why not? They're all gone now." Roxas was right. All the Heartless had been destroyed. A few stragglers ran away to nooks and crannies, but the square was empty except for the four teens.

"What? No way. That was quick." Sora put his weapons away. Kairi jumped down and gave Oathkeeper back the Roxas. Riku came over and returned Oblivion. "Nice tricks with your Keyblades, Roxas. What did Riku call them before?"

"Oblivion and Oathkeeper." Roxas held out each as he said their name. "I only fought Neoshadows with both of them before. I got caught before I could do much else."

"Are we done here? Then let's go home; that was tiring. We don't get jumped by that many Heartless every day. Well, maybe you did Roxas, but the rest of us need time to relax." Riku put away his weapon and opened a portal. Roxas stared at it for a moment before putting his own weapons away.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll meet you at the islands in a little while." He opened a portal of his own.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Sora tried to stop Roxas from entering the portal. The blond just smiled and stepped halfway through his portal.

"You'll see. Bye!" Roxas disappeared. Riku shook his head.

"Let him be. Come on, home is waiting."

* * *

Sora was lying on the beach, watching the clouds float by, when Roxas came back. The boy plopped down next to Sora, carrying a bag. Sora squinted at the bag, trying to see what was inside.

"Huh. Ice cream again from Twilight Town? Why?"

"Axel said it was the icing on the cake after a mission, and I always had some whenever I finished a mission. Always, even though sometimes I was alone or couldn't make it to the clock tower." Roxas opened the bag and handed Sora a popsicle. He took one himself and lay back as well. "Where are Riku and Kairi?"

"Don't know. I think Riku's over by the palm tree, and Kairi was on the beach, over there, but…" The beach where Sora pointed was empty. He shrugged. "You can try to find them if you want. I'm just gonna lay here and rest. The sand is so warm…."

"I can see that," Roxas laughed. He stood up and grabbed the bag. "See you later Sora. Don't get sunburned." Sora groaned and waved him away. Roxas grinned and ran off to find his other two friends.

_Friends._ After Axel and Xion, Roxas never thought he would make another friend. Let alone three or more, he thought, thinking of the people he met in King Mickey's castle. Were they considered friends too? What did it mean, really, to have a friend? The thoughts left his head temporarily as he found Kairi then Riku and gave them their ice cream. His was long gone by then. Having nothing else to do, he went and got his bag of belongings and made his way to the paopu tree. Pulling his old journal out of the bag, he turned to the page he had been looking at this morning.

There was a single line on the page. Roxas pulled out his pencil, then put it right next to the single line. Come on, he told himself. It's not that hard. It's just one word. Alright, slowly, add one more line….Good, now another, next to those two lines, and a dot….Doing real good, Roxas, now for a circle, going around, just like that….One more line, now a curve, straight to the bottom….Done.

_Xion._

Roxas stared at the one word. The one name that meant everything to him. Taking a deep breath, he put the pencil on the next line.

_Today Riku, Sora, Kairi, and I went hunting Heartless in Agrabah, just like old times. We were surrounded at one point, but all of us got through fine. It felt good, destroying Heartless again, having a purpose once more. Though it's not really a purpose, just something to do cause I'll go crazy if I don't do something._

He paused, surprised at how the words flew out of him. It was as if he was writing to her…

_I'm finally free from the Organization, but there's a shadow out there, made of Xemnas's hate and anger and stuff. I will destroy it. Then what, I don't know. I'll find a way to bring you back, and then you can read this and see all the things I did when you weren't here. Even though you're not here, I still dream of you every night. I don't know why, but every memory that replays, it feels so real. Every smile, every word, every laugh, heck, even that time you hugged me, I feel as though I'm experiencing it all for the first time again._

_I miss you, and Axel, and Demyx, and everyone else from the Organization. Even though most of them didn't like me, and none of them trusted me. Except you. Xion, you always trusted me, always kept your promises, you always tried to stay by my side. I love you Xion, and I never got to tell you. That's why I will bring you back with whatever fragment of your heart I carry within me according to Mickey and Zexion. So that I can say that to your face. And maybe you'll fell the same way._

_So I'll keep writing in this every day till you come back. I will never forget you, and I will never forget anything ever again. Wait for me to rescue you, Xion. Like you rescued me, from the darkness. I will come._


	17. Chapter 16

_a/n:_ ^^;; I am very confused. I just looked up Inezo on Wikipedia, and either someone misspelled his name or they changed it. Real nice....

Has anyone here played Chain of Memories GBA version? I played it a super long time ago, and I'm trying to find out if Sora beats Larxene the second time you fight her. I can't remember. Someone, help please!! I'll, um, give you a cookie! One of the awesome cookies the Sen1ors in Home Ec. make every Tuesday and Thursday. Mmm, cookies.

**HIPPIE GIRL SAYS:**HELP WANTED. FOR WHAT? I WANT TO KILL A CERTAIN PERSON A.K.A MY BROTHER. ANYONE WANT TO HELP?

* * *

_Xion,_

"Roxas!" Kairi called, laughing. "Can't you and Sora go a single day without getting dirty?" The two boys had gotten into another sand fight after they returned home. They grinned at each other, sand sliding down their shirts.

"Idiot boys!"

_Every day now we go and hunt Heartless. We've been to so many worlds these past three weeks. Wonderland, Olympus Coliseum, Beast's Castle-_

"I thought the Beast was under a curse," Zexion remarked as he listened to Riku and Sora explain to King Mickey why Roxas had passed out again after fighting Heartless. He had led them underground where they found Neoshadows. Zexion shook his head.

"Maybe next time he'll know not to try and take on three Neoshadows at once."

_-a lot of worlds I've never been to as well. Monstro, this weird underwater world, and Traverse Town once to go see some friends of Sora that also fight Heartless. Now they're helping us fight Heartless and search for the shadow. Plus worlds none of us have seen, and some of them were just beautiful. You would have loved them, Xion._

The four teens stood underneath a giant tree, staring up at the flying Heartless perched in its branches. The people of the world had said that this Heartless was different; it never attacked people, and once saved a girl from drowning in the river nearby. They wanted to make sure it was as peaceful as everyone had said.

_Donald and Goofy come with sometimes as well. They bring requests to go to certain worlds from the King and once Zexion. Both of them are trying their best to track down that shadow, but so far we've only caught one glimpse of it as it left the world we had just arrived in. Too bad, I really wanted to destroy Xemnas once and for all._

"Don't you think Roxas is a little obsessed with fighting that shadow?" Riku looked at Donald.

"Nah. It took away the life he once had, and ruined his chances of living like a normal person. Besides, I felt that evil, and I agree with getting rid of it as soon as possible." He shaded his eyes and watched Kairi and Roxas reappear on the beach with the bag of ice cream. He smiled; it was now their tradition to eat ice cream every day, even if they didn't go Heartless hunting.

_Twice after going to a world full of Heartless we didn't leave the islands the next day. Once because we found another Darkside, and the other because me and Sora got thrown into a wall and knocked out by the backlash of a Heartless disappearing. Riku and Kairi threatened to tie us up if we didn't pay more attention to the Heartless around us. We do pay attention, only that time we saw this weird bird in the sky. It was a rainbow of colors, always changing. I wish you could've seen it._

"How long is it gonna take you to make a tracker, Zexion?" Roxas watched the older man tinker with a small machine block in Castle Oblivion. He rolled his eyes at the blond.

"Roxas, it will take a while longer. In order to truly complete the tracker we need to meet that shadow one more time. Be patient."

"But I don't want to wait! Fix it now!" Roxas whined. No one was letting him hunt Heartless that day, and he was very bored, to say the least. "Or let me see one of Vexen's old books; they look interesting."

"Not likely."

_I still dream about you every night. Sometimes I dream of the other members, and some of the mission I went on with them. Like that time I went to Wonderland with Luxord, and we went after giant pink Heartless. Or that time I went to Neverland with Axel and we flew around with Tinkerbelle. When you come back I'm going to take you there so you can fly too. It's so fun. I should take Sora and the others there to go hunting. Maybe, maybe not. I'm not sure if I really want to, because that last mission there with Axel was the last time I really trusted him. I don't want to ruin that memory._

"Roxas? Why do we eat ice cream after we go to a world and come back?" Goofy asked the boy after he and Donald had come with the group for the third time.

Roxas smile and leaned back into the sand. "The icing on the cake. A way to relax after a hard day's work. Time to spend with friends. Hey, its ice cream-if Riku would let me, I'd eat it all the time!"

Riku snorted. "No way. You'd get fat. Then again, with all the running around you do, you'd probably stay healthy. I'm not going to let you, though. Too much ice cream would ruin this tradition."

"Mmmm. You're right. I would do anything to protect this gathering, anything to make sure it stays the way it is."

_It's getting late. I don't want anyone to walk by and see me writing this. I'm on the beach, by the way. It's so pretty out here in the moonlight. You'll love it here. Anyway, I don't want anyone to know about this so I'm going to go the bed now. Write to you again tomorrow, Xion!_

* * *

"Writing in his old journal? Maybe it's force of habit. Maybe to ensure he'll never forget what he did here, with you guys. Or maybe…" Zexion trailed off and shook his head. "Thanks, Kairi. I always did wonder why Roxas ran off so quick after our ice cream eating. And I won't tell him, don't worry. You won't get in trouble for tattle-telling on the little secret keeper."

Kairi smiled and waved as she ran off to join the others. Donald was trying to teach Riku how to play chess. Riku learned fast, and was soon taking away a lot of Donald's chessmen. Sora kneeled on the sand next to them, cheering Riku on. Roxas had gone inside, to write in his journal again if what Kairi thought she had seen two days ago was correct.

"Hmm…" Zexion stood up and opened a portal back to Castle Oblivion. Stepping through, he looked towards his desk at the unfinished letter on the table. It's worse than we thought. Much worse, he thought idly. Sitting down, he reviewed the words in his head, then slowly wrote them out.

_I went to see them again today, and helped on their 'mission'. I learned from Kairi that he is writing in his old journal again. I wish I could sneak a peak at it, but I must wait till he is gone. Tomorrow, I will check. If what we believe that the spiral stopped when he knew nothing, then we can assume that it started again when he remembered everything. How far along it is we can't know for sure till I get my hands on that journal. But we have to assume that its hit the halfway point; if he meets the shadow of Xemnas again it may push it to the end. And what then, who knows._

_I hope that you will be able to find a way out of that world soon. We need you, since the best I can remember of being you is the research you did all the time. Mickey helps when possible, but he wasn't as close to Xenohart as you were. By the way, have you found the others yet? __Lexaeus said he might know where Aeleus might have gone to after Xenohart disappeared ten years ago. Either way, we need the others, all of them, to help free those three._

_Do you have news that you believe I need to know? Though I doubt it since you're stuck in that __world. And if you have found a way out, then come to Hollow Bastion; I will meet you there. _

Zexion paused, wondering what else to put. I wish I could speak with him face-to-face, but then I'd get trapped in that world as well, he thought. Besides, what would I say to him? We're practically twins, yet so different. Does it matter? He's stuck in that world for the moment anyway, and if I go there I'll be stuck too.

_Good luck._ It seemed a fitting ending to a letter meant for the person Zexion originally was.

* * *

"Hmm? Zexion, what are you doing here?" Roxas shaded his eyes as he looked up at the older man. Zexion silently cursed; he had been hoping they had left already for the day. Apparently not.

He quickly came up with an excuse to be at the islands. "Well, I…am almost finished with the tracker and wanted to see if you wanted to test it out. That is, if you were still here when I came."

"Oh, no way, really? Cool, we'll try it out as soon as Riku comes back from King Mickey's castle. He suddenly left to go see him this morning, and didn't tell anyone why. He looked really upset, too, when Sora tried to stop him. Nearly threw him into the water." Roxas leaned back onto the sand. Zexion sighed and sat down next to him after a moment.

"Why do you think Riku left?" he asked the blond.

"Huh? I'm not really sure why, but I think it has something to do with the shells I had on my bed this morning. Xion had collected them for me when I was asleep for a real long time. I did the same for her too, and I brought all of them here when I went back for my stuff at The Castle That Never Was. He took one look at the pink one I had and shot out the door."

Zexion was intrigued. Shells? "Let me see the one you're talking about."

"Here." Roxas pulled two shells out of his pocket. One was his; the shell he thought kinda represented himself since it was blue and yellow. The other one was pink and yellow. He handed both of them to Zexion. "They go together. I don't know why but I get that feeling, ever since I found the pink one on the beach. Is there something wrong with them?"

"No," Zexion replied slowly, turning the shells over. "Nothing that I can see, except that they are remarkably alike." He gave them back to Roxas just as a portal opened behind them and Riku stepped onto the sand.

"Zexion. Not surprising." Behind him Donald and Goofy also stepped out of the portal. "The King wants us to go to a world that he thinks that shadow may be lurking in. You going to come with?"

Zexion had to now since the boy implied that they may find the shadow. He had to keep an eye on Roxas, and on that spiral. "I think I will. The tracker's finished as well, and I can make sure it works properly. Where's Sora and Kairi?"

"Here. Sora's over by the caves. I'll go get him." Kairi ran over to find Sora. Zexion looked up at Riku. He stared Zexion down. After a moment his gaze shifted to Roxas, then the house. Zexion got the unsaid message:_ You came for the journal. He was writing in it again. Good or bad? _Zexion shrugged.

_Please let it be good news for once._

* * *

"Alright, so…where are we?"

"…Very good question. Anyone got any ideas?"

This world was not like anything they had ever seen. Above them, on was should have been the sky, were trees and vines covered in black roses. Off to the group's left was looked like a giant turtle-alligator-whale mix that was silver-black. They were standing on black grass, each individual piece swaying of its own accord.

"…" Roxas looked around, hands clutching at his two Keyblades. "I vote we call this place a nightmare. Perfect hiding spot for a shadow. Let's find it, destroy it, and get out of here quick."

"Agreed." Sora and Riku nodded. Kairi stayed very close to both of them, almost holding onto the ends of their shirts. Roxas shook himself violently, then began to lead the group towards the silver-black mass. But he hadn't taken more than two steps when an evil cackle came from behind the group.

"Came looking for revenge, did you? Good luck getting it, you stupid Nobody."


	18. Chapter 17

_a/n: _Spiral thing: see chap below. Still confused, ask. Basically sanity, Zexion was talking about how Roxas is not like other people in the fact that he thinks and acts strange, even for a Nobody. Sooner or later he will lose it and go crazy again, and try to kill those around him who lied and/or hurt him, like at the end of 358/2 days.

Yeah, confusing. Read The Book Thief. Good book, but confusing at times.

**HIPPIE GIRL SAYS: **PWEASE ANSWER MY QUESTION. I IS NEEDING MUCH HELP IN KNOWING HOW LARXENE DIED. WIKIPEDIA SUCKS. IT LIES TO ME!!!

P.S: Anime club meetings may be changed to Thursdays, so I can get one, maybe two chappies out if i'm almost done on Wednesdays! Yay! Wait-did i already tell you guys that? And girls?

* * *

"Xemnas!" Already Roxas was charging at the shadow, Keyblades glittering in the low light. They struck a bolt of darkness with a clang and cut right through it before anyone else could run in and help.

Riku growled as he came up beside Roxas; the blond was completely concentrated on attacking the shadow and didn't pay attention to anything that might hurt him. Including a whole barrage of dark bolts that Xemnas shot out to the left, curving to attack the group from the back. Zexion shattered them with one shouted word; Donald sent up a flurry of magic to attack the shadow, trying to keep them from creating any more bolts.

"Go to hell already, you-" The shadow swept out an arm, slamming Roxas into an upside-down tree before he could finish his yell. Sora ran forward when Xemnas had turned, and landed a barrage of hits onto his chest, pulling the shadow's attention away from Roxas. The blond was slowly standing up again, reaching for his Keyblades. Oathkeeper had landed nearby, but Oblivion was on the ground near Xemnas. He rushed in, determined to get his weapon back without a second thought.

"ROXAS! You idiot!" Zexion yelled, conjuring up a shield to protect Roxas. "Don't rush into certain death! Do you want to die?"

"Maybe to him death would be better than living his pitiable excuse for a life. Maybe he yearns for death, so that he never had to be tempted by the light and may stay in the darkness forever, where he belongs." The shadow's words dripped slowly onto the battlefield, oozing hatred.

"No! Roxas belongs here!" Sora and Riku yelled at the same time. At that same moment Roxas grabbed his second Keyblade and delivered a strong blow to both of Xemnas's legs, causing the shadow to fall to one side. It leaned heavily on a tree, pulling out the roots as it glared at the seven before him. The glare was full of hate, and darkness that threatened to absorb them the second they grew weak.

"Oh yeah, huh? I belong in the darkness? Then where do you belong, Xemnas-for if what I've done makes me deserve the darkness the surely you deserve much worse for all the pain you've inflicted." Roxas leaned heavily on his Keyblades, panting. His right leg was bleeding, not badly, but rendering him from running around too much. "You must belong with the nothingness, which is why you're here trying to bring me down. That lonely out there, huh? Maybe now you'll know that you can't have everything you want!"

"You insolent piece of trash!" the shadow roared. "You dare insult me, the greatest being of all time?! I gave you a name, I gave you purpose, and you dare say that I am nothing? You, boy, are nothing, just a horrible copy of someone who is everything. A copy, a Nobody, that's who you are, and that's all you'll ever be!" He swung his arms, bolts of darkness forming in each hand. "Time to leave these worlds, and never come back!" Both bolts shot towards Roxas with startling speed.

Roxas didn't have time to think; he brought both Keyblades up, reacting purely on something inside of him that knew more about fighting than he did. The bolts shattered into a thousands pieces, but each piece floated back up and surrounded Roxas. A quivering wall of black darkness covered Roxas completely; Riku couldn't cut through. Neither could Sora, Goofy, and Donald. They could hear Roxas inside the impenetrable wall of darkness, fighting to get out with all his might. Xemnas laughed, the evil sound slowly echoing over the desolate land.

"See what you get for double-crossing me? See where it gets it-right back in the darkness from which you came and where you belong, forever. Never will you escape this trap, for you cannot escape yourself!"

Everyone stared on in agonized silence. No one could find the strength, or the will, to move after what they had just seen. The only sounds were Xemnas's laugh, still echoing into their very souls it seemed. Then…came a sound like…a voice?

"No…" No one could believe it; how could they still here Roxas? Xemnas turned towards the cocoon of darkness, looking amused. "No way….I've come to far…to be stopped…by someone…who can't even…begin to understand…what it truly means to have a heart!" The cocoon burst open; Roxas knelt in the middle of the shredded darkness. Oathkeeper was glowing bright, while Oblivion seemed to absorb the darkness around itself. Roxas himself glared at Xemnas, cerulean eyes filled with a deep hatred and sadness.

"Come on, try that again. If I really do belong to the darkness then you can't bind me with it. Nor can you use light, for I'll just break it as well. What are you going to do now?" His tone was mocking; Keyblades ready to swing up at any moment. Xemnas took one look at the mocking half-smile and fled. The cloud of darkness grew, absorbed Xemnas, and then shrunk to nothing.

"Thought so, you bully. Hope you can put up a better fight next time…" Roxas smiled that mocking half-smile again, then collapsed onto the ground.

"ROXAS!" half a dozen voices called.

"You idiot! Stop trying to kill yourself, cause one day you will!" Sora cried as he ran up to the unmoving body. The two Keyblades slowly dissolved into light and darkness, respectively. Zexion carefully picked up the limp body and nodded at Riku. He opened a portal, allowing Zexion to go through first before he and everyone else followed.

* * *

"So you met the shadow again." Zexion nodded. "And you fought it. Roxas went…was a little to enthusiastic trying to destroy it, and passed out." Zexion nodded again, knowing the look on King Mickey's face did not bode well for him. "And you managed to sneak a look at his journal and found that the spiral had started again."

"Actually, it's worse now than it ever was. It's moving downwards very quickly, maybe too fast for us to stop in time, if we knew how to stop it." Zexion shook his head. The four teens were resting in the castle, all asleep except for Riku, sitting in Mickey's study listening to him and Zexion talk. He had guess, earlier, that something was seriously wrong with Roxas after looking at the pink shell of his and seeing Xion's face float in front of it.

"What downward spiral? When did it start-a long time ago, or recently?" Riku asked, looking tired. He was determined to find out why Roxas was acting weird, so he and Sora could promptly put an end to it. "And what does it represent? Roxas's sanity or something?"

"Sanity, I guess you can call it. Basically what is inside of him, what makes him think and act the way he does. As far as I can tell, Roxas was like a leaf when he first was…born, you could say. He float back and forth, not really going up or down, not really happy or sad. Then he met Xion, and Axel left for Castle Oblivion. I am guessing that is when the spiral started moving slowly downwards, very slowly. Almost unnoticeable. Then he came back, knowing the truth about Roxas, and guessing as to what Xion was, and it got worse. When Xion ran away, Roxas took a huge plunge; when they fought, it went even lower and was in danger of hitting rock bottom when Namine intervened and sealed his memory away." Zexion put his head in his heads, tired.

"And when he remembered, it started again. Slowly, like in the beginning, but quickly moving faster. Now it goes at the same rate all the time, more or less, but the battle with Xemnas's shadow of hatred pushed it almost to the end. Hopefully we can find a way to stop it, but the only two who could are gone," King Mickey finished. He cast a worried look at Zexion.

"Axel and Xion, right? What about me and Sora, and Kairi, can't we do something? Especially Kairi; she's a Heart Princess, and should be able to help somehow." Riku sat up, trying not to fall asleep. His hands clung to the chair, his gaze locked on Zexion and the King. "What can we do to help?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. The ones who truly know him, know what he is truly like inside, are the ones who can completely stop the spiral downwards. We can help, but it would be limited; almost as if we were trying to help a burning tree still grow." King Mickey shook his head sadly; knowing that there was a boy right in front of him and he couldn't help him cut him deep. He remembered the only other time he faced a situation like this, eleven years ago now.

"So now what then? We just keep him from hitting rock bottom while he looks for a way to bring Xion back?" Riku say what was unsaid, and felt like giving up. Even if they could save Roxas from…he would still be incomplete. A part of him had been ripped away, and no one could bring it back. Only Roxas could, and he might destroy himself in the process.

"So…"

"We can still try. Xion was one who knew him, and Axel was the other. We have yet to give up on him." Zexion didn't want to reveal his secret, or give false hope, but he had to.

"What? Bring Axel back? That's impossible. Nobodies disappear when they are…" Riku trailed off, remember who it was that said that. "Alright, so where do Nobodies go, then? To the world of dead Nobodies?" he joked. Looking at the King and Zexion, he let the amazement show. "No way…you've been there?"

"No. There is no way out of that world if you are a Nobody. At least, I haven't found a way in or out that allows me to come back to you guys." Zexion smiled when Riku tried to add something else, but yawned instead. "Look, I'll tell you all I know later, at C.O., if you really want to know. But now, we need sleep. Go on, find the others. I'm sure Mickey will let you stay here for a while. In fact, I think he might force you to stay awhile."

King Mickey nodded, smiling slightly. "Roxas's old room. Have nice dreams," he said as Riku left the room, yawning widely now. He looked towards Zexion, who held up his hands.

"I know, I'm staying as well. Just let me write one letter, just a note, and then I'll go rest as well." Mickey sighed, then nodded at Zexion.

"Make it quick. Then straight to bed."

"Understood, Mickey."

* * *

Dark blue eyes surveyed the letter held in front of them. The man grimaced, not pleased by what he found on the paper. He ran a hand through dark blue hair and fell back onto the grass. What does he expect me to do, just bust out of here, he thought. Not so easy. Mo one is supposed to be able to get into or out of this world. The eyes closed, and the hand let the breeze grab the paper. It flew away, soon just a white speck in the blue, blue sky.

The man didn't move again until there was another _fwip_ above him. Annoyed, he sat up and snatched a letter out of the air. Unfolding it, he read the contents with a scowl.

_The situation is so much worse than we could have predicted. I snuck a look at his journal, and apparently he believes the Replica to still be here somewhere. He swears to get her back someday. The downward spiral itself is almost at rock bottom. What will happen when it hits, I'm almost afraid to find out. At best we can hope he'll turn up in your world; at worst, who knows. The only one who could is gone, and we don't dare try to find the other who can tell us what is waiting at rock bottom._

_He is slowly losing contact with everything around him. I'm afraid things will turn out the way they did last time, only much worse since he holds untold power within himself. If he is able to surpass the barriers and rules of the worlds and keep memories of a non-existing Replica then if he does touch rock bottom…Hopefully, we can stop it until you can bring all of them out of there. Good luck once more._

"Heeey." The man ignored the teen who had sat beside him. "Got another letter from that traitor, huh? Who's that he you two keep talking about all the time?"

"Go away. It's none of your business." The blue-haired man fumbled in his head for a way to get rid of this annoyance once and for all.

"It's the only one who isn't here, right? This whole time, out of all of us, he's not here. What's my old buddy doing?" The teen refused to leave. Instead he watched the other man, smirking at his anger.

"Go. Away." The man had to speak through clenched teeth. The other laughed and stood up, brushing off his clothes.

"Fine, fine, have it your way." He shook his head and walked away, towards a hill. Behind it was the sound of a stringed instrument, played with skill. Others followed the annoying teen, talking softly, trading glares and smiles. One remained silent, tall and muscled with swept back brown hair and eyes that watched the dark blue haired man with worry.

"What can we do now?...Except watch what our foolish actions eleven years ago have wrought? Maybe it's time we finally faced that horrible truth, and be punished for it." He leaned back again, watching the sun climb in the sky. The light flickered over the meadow and the hill and the people roaming around, each carrying a small burden inside of them, most unknowingly.

"What hope is there now?"


	19. Chapter 18

_a/n_: NOT MY FAULT!! I SWEAR-PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! Okay, I wasn't home on Saturday, so I couldn't go on. Sunday, my sister started to work on her twelve page history project that was due TODAY and she's known about it since before Thanksgiving break. So if anyone is still feeling murderous, feel free to go after my sister.

WARNING:Since KH 3 isn't out yet, I'm making up my own story about the people in it and stuff. It comes out this week in Japan. YAYNESS

**HIPPIE GIRL SAYS:** I IS SORRY TO MY READERS. REVIEW AND ASK ME ANY ONE QUESTION YOU WANT. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE STORY-RELATED. THAT IS MY SORRY AND THANK-YOU TO ALL MY LOVELY, AWESOME REVIEWERS!!

* * *

Roxas's dream seemed weirder then usual. He saw all his old friends from the Organization sans two, and they all seemed relatively happy. They were in a world opposite of the one he had gone to once, with bright green grass, trees in full bloom, hills, peaceful, calm. Demyx was sitting on a hill playing his sitar, watched by Larxene, Marluxia, Lexaeus, and from a great distance Saix. Luxord and Vexen were playing a game that Vexen seemed to be losing badly. Xigbar was shooting targets while Xaldin sat reading a letter. Xemnas was even there, standing by himself by a large lake.

For once none of them seemed to see him. But wait, he thought, there's one missing. Looking around, he searched for the person he wanted to see the least and most. A flash of red to his left caught his attention. There he was, one of the two people Roxas had trusted most, sitting by another man who looked a lot like Zexion with shorter hair and a tattoo of phoenix on his arm, half-hidden by a shirt sleeve. They were looking at a piece of paper, the blue haired man obviously pissed while the other kept up his antics.

Roxas just stood there, watching them. Finally the tattoo wearing guy got the teen to leave. He swaggered away, smirking to himself. Hands in pockets, he walked until the blond came into his field of vision. Roxas didn't expect him to see him; no one else could. But the other teen stopped, staring at Roxas with a look of shock.

"Roxas? Is that…you? What are you doing here?" One hand went up of its own accord, brushing back the spiky red hair.

"Axel," Roxas whispered. The two stared at each other, not moving. "What am I...? Why are you here? Where is here anyway? Some magical land where liars and traitors go after death?" His tone was quiet, calm almost, without a touch of emotion. It seemed to mock the land, and the teen in front of him. Roxas couldn't feel anything; seeing Axel again, after so long, and all those things that had happened…

"Roxas. I wanted to tell you…before you left I really wanted to…but…" He reached out, trying to grab the blond. Roxas took a step back, just out of reach. "Oh come on, don't be like that. We haven't seen each other in forever. Be a bit nicer to your best friend, will ya?"

"What? Still believing that, after what you did to me?...And her? After what you made happen, you still…" Roxas shook his head, fighting tears suddenly. He took another step back. "I hope I never meet you outside of a dream, Axel, because I'll kill you. I will. You ruined everything…I hate you! Go away-I never want to see you ever again!" He turned and ran down the hill, tears streaming down his face. A moment later he had disappeared from the world.

"Hate me, huh? Guess you deserve to, after everything's said and done." Axel watched the boy run, and disappeared. He shook his head, and turned to look for the blue-haired man. But he had also disappeared, leaving the former Organization member alone on the hilltop.

* * *

"Roxas. Wake up! Roxas! Wake up!" Someone was shaking him. Roxas groaned and tried to push them off of him. "No, get up! Now!"

"Leave me alone," he mumbled into his pillow. He rolled over, trying to escape the hands that grabbed at him.

"Roxas! I'll never let you go to Twilight Town ever again if you do not get up now!!"

"Fine, fine, I'm up Kairi. Get off of me." Roxas sat up, rubbing his eyes. Kairi sat on the bed next to him, watching with worried eyes. "Why'd you wake me up, anyway? And where are the others?"

"They're getting something to eat. Roxas, you slept until lunch, almost. You'd have slept longer if you didn't start acting weird in your sleep. What, did you have a nightmare or something?"

"Something like that," Roxas mumbled, looking down at the blanket. His dream was still vivid in his mind: the fields, the people, and his conversation with a dead person who didn't exist anymore. "Where do Nobodies go when we are killed?"

"I don't know. Xemnas said Nobodies disappear forever, but he's lied about other things, so maybe they do go somewhere. I'm not sure. You should talk to Zexion or King Mickey about things like that. Come on, let's get some food as well. You must be starving!" Kairi laughed and pulled Roxas off the bed. He was then dragged to the kitchen, where, behold, Riku and Sora had started a food fight with half the kitchen staff.

"And I though I was the only one to start idiotic things." Roxas grinned as he watched Riku throw a spoonful of whipped cream at Sora. He retaliated with a handful of nuts aimed at Riku's head. Kairi had to dodge a banana thrown towards her while Roxas grabbed and errant bowl of water and flung it on the main food-throwers. Needless to say, Sora, Riku, and several kitchen staff all stopped throwing food at each other and started a barrage on Roxas and Kairi.

"Hey! Leave me out of this you idiots!" Kairi ducked back outside while Roxas ran into the fray, grabbing food and chucking it at anything that moved. It took Zexion and Donald casting magic to pull everyone apart and then freezing them to stop the food fight. They, plus Minnie and King Mickey, surveyed the kitchen and food covered people standing frozen.

"Clean this up, please. And next time, do not start a food fight in my castle," King Mickey called out, loud enough for everyone to hear him. When he was certain they had all gotten the message, he nodded at the two magicians and left. Minnie, after one last laugh, followed.

"Interesting. Note to self: Do not let any two Destiny Islanders alone at any time. The consequences will be quite unexpected, and hard to clean up." Zexion released his freezing spell and sat on a stool that was, miraculously, still clean. Donald found it very hard to stop laughing. The kitchen was a mess; and the people inside it even more so.

"Well, it was fun. And I didn't start it for once. Sora and Riku did," Roxas stated, picking up plates and glassware from the floor. Two staff members came over with rags to pick up the broken pieces, taking them to either Zexion or Donald to put them back together via magic.

"Riku started it. He said I couldn't eat a chili pepper, but I did. It was so spicy I had to gulp an entire gallon of water, and accidently knocked a plate of pickles into his lap." Sora had a trash can and was shoveling food from the floor inside it.

"I had to get revenge, of course. I threw a piece of apple pie at him. Sora dodged it, and a staff member got hit and took offense. Next thing I know everyone is throwing food and it was pure insanity." Riku had an armful of wet rags and towels to clean themselves and the kitchen. Kairi slipped back into the kitchen and helped clean up the people covered in the most food. I.E, Roxas, Riku, Sora, and four kitchen staff members.

"Hmmm." Zexion looked amused as he put together a tray. "It seems that children will do just about anything when they're bored."

"Hey! We were just bored; we're not kids. You probably did the same thing when you were young, Zexion." Roxas threw a rag at the older man, who easily dodged it. "Or, you have memories of doing stupid things. I know that at least…" He stopped, then turned back to picking up the kitchen with a viciousness that alarmed the others.

"Who did what, Roxas?" Kairi paused in cleaning a glass tray to look at the blond. He was pointedly picking up plates. "Did you do something like this when you were…an Organization member?"

"No…just one time Demyx and Zexion had gone on a mission together, and made some kind of bet on it. Zexion lost, apparently, and had to play Twister with Demyx." Roxas gave a half smile at those watching him. "You should've seen it-Zexion, of all people, playing a game with Demyx! I wish I could've taken pictures."

"What? Zexion, you really did that? No way," Sora laughed. When Zexion glared at Roxas and turned away, Sora nearly fell over. "Oh man, you actually did! I can't imagine it-the Zexion, playing Twister!"

"Man, when I first saw, Xaldin had control of the spinner for some reason, and got them so Demyx was on his hands and knees..." Roxas had to stop, he was laughing so hard. "...on top of Zexion! I couldn't believe it, especially when Larxene walked by and hit Demyx for being so loud, and he fell right on top of…" Roxas couldn't talk anymore; he was clutching at his stomach and laughing.

"Roxas, enough of that. Do you want me to tell them about the first time you made a bet with Luxord and had to sneak into Marluxia's room and steal his journal without getting caught? Which you did." Zexion leveled another glare at the blond, along with a smirk.

"Ah-the grounds are even now. What did that pink-haired weirdo do to you, Roxas?" Riku grinned at him over the countertop. Kairi was viciously rubbing his hair clean of the food in it. He winced every so often, but didn't dare to complain out loud.

"Um, well, he tied me and Xigbar together until Axel took pity on me and cut the rope." Roxas leaned back, thinking. "We did a lot of crazy things, too, when we were bored. Let's see, Zexion, remember that time Xaldin and Luxord were fighting in the stairway and Larxene ran into them?"

"Fell down the stairs and onto Axel? I think even Saix and Xemnas knew what had happened, she yelled so loud." Zexion grinned, eyes twinkling. "I remember her saying later that she wishes you had set her on fire. What, she was taking care of you that day?"

"Yeah, her turn to babysit. She taught me magic." Roxas smiled as well, and began putting stacks of plates and cups back into cupboards. "I never saw Luxord run so fast again. Even Xaldin shot out of there. I think they both left The World That Never Was as well for a couple of days."

"Roxas, you made someone wish you had set them on fire? What did you do to this Larxene?" Riku was freed from Kairi's clutches. She moved onto Sora.

"Larxene was just mean, all the time. Xigbar said that when she became a Nobody, the person she was was PMSing or something, and so she was always angry. I don't know what he meant, but she was always mean. I'm kinda glad she went to Castle Oblivion. What happened to her there, anyway?" Roxas paused in putting a stack of glass plates away to look at Zexion.

"Well, she fought Sora, and was beaten by him. Marluxia was pissed when she was gone, and tried to put his plan into motion that very second. Didn't succeed, mostly due to Axel's betrayal and Riku's determination to get out of the castle. Sora helped loads, too, but he doesn't remember, as a rule, thanks to Namine having messed with his head during his stay there." Zexion looked thoughtful.

"Huh? I beat Larxene? Why don't I remember being in Castle Oblivion?" Sora looked confused. Kairi paused in her scrubbing of his head to also shoot a look at Zexion.

"Yeah, she told me something along the lines of that. 'I've breached the rules of the worlds, and so has Sora, so he won't remember anything he did that time.' Is that what she meant-Sora would lose his memories of Castle Oblivion?"

"Basically, yes. While he was there, his original memory had been messed up to delete you, Kairi, and replace you with Namine. So if Sora were to remember, his memory would change; and then, well, let's just say it's better he doesn't remember."

Roxas looked up. He was helping a staff member put a leg back onto a table. "Sora lost his memory of that time because his old memories had been messed with. If he did remember it would screw up his current memories and make someone disappear, right?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Zexion gave the blond an inquiring look. "Why were you sleeping so long? Did you have another dream or something?"

"No…" Roxas looked away; Kairi started to clean his head when Riku grabbed her arm. "No, just, what did…never mind. But why…why did you go to Castle Oblivion, Zexion? You knew what Marluxia and them were doing, right? So why did you go if you knew that…he was going to betray everyone?"

Zexion stood up abruptly. "Let's leave that matter for another day. Since you're done cleaning this mess up, you four should go back to the Destiny Islands and rest for a few days. See you all later." He disappeared.

'He avoided my question. What does he know?' Roxas glared at the spot the older man had just stood on. Riku watched him, then gave Sora and Kairi a look.

"Come on, you heard the man. Let's get out of here. Home awaits!" He opened a portal and walked through. Sora, after a shrug at Roxas, went next. Kairi grabbed Roxas and brought him through the portal with her; he was still glaring at the spot on the floor.

'What does he know about the others that he's not saying?'


	20. Chapter 19

_a/n:_ Yay, still alive. I think.

Nobody-XV - Oh yeah. Well, I thought of that as something he just didn't want anymore, seeing that Axel had lied to him and was no longer his friend. But even if he did forgive him, I bet Roxas is still pissed he was lied to. I would be.

NinjaSheik - Yes I read the mana for 358/2 Days. ^^ No biggie. Seriously, I laughed so hard when I first saw that picture. I thought it was Demyx and Axel, but no, Axel's on the couch. Then I realized it was Zexion. I didn't breathe for a good minute there.

**HIPPIE GIRL** **SAYS**: HI NEW PEOPLE I LOVE YOU. I WILL GO TO SCHOOL IN COSPLAY TOMORROW! AS AN ORGANIZATION XIII MEMBER!! YAY!

* * *

He wasn't in his bed. He wasn't on the beach. He wasn't sitting on a palm tree. He wasn't climbing a palm tree or the cliff. He wasn't in the water either.

"Where the hell is Roxas?!" Riku shouted at the sky. Next to him Kairi plopped down onto the sand while Sora grinned and shook his head. "I swear! The next time that idiot pulls a disappearing act I'm gonna kill him!"

"Riku, calm down. Maybe he went to Twilight Town or something."

"No, more likely than not he went and stole that tracker of Zexion's and is trying to hunt that shadow down."

"Kairi, Riku, come on. It's not like he can do anything on his own, can he? Roxas probably just wants to be alone right now or something." Sora sat next to Kairi. Riku joined them with a 'humph'.

"That kid always wants to be alone."

"Well, he is a solitary person. Maybe…" Kairi trailed off, watching the clouds. "Wait. I know where he is. Hold on, I'll go get him. Riku, can you open a portal for me? To The World That Never Was?"

Riku looked confused but opened the portal anyway. "Why would he be there?" Kairi didn't answer; she just walked through the portal. "You know, I'm gonna go crazy with all these secrets everyone has."

"Riku, that's the whole point of having a secret. To drive you crazy."

"You are so dead Sora."

* * *

Roxas stood, watching the dark shies through the windows of the room he had received each and every mission of his. The sky was empty. "Of course. Sora said Ansem destroyed Kingdom Hearts. Why would it still be here?" He sat down on a couch and pulled out his journal. "Why is Zexion so interested in what I write? It's not meant to be read by anyone but her anyway." The older man didn't think Roxas would notice his nosing around the teen's belongings. It wasn't hard to tell, really; the shells neatly packed in the bag had been scattered on the bed.

"Ha. No one's perfect, not even him." Stupid sneak. Roxas ought to give him a little something he deserved. "Him and that blasted King. He's nice and all, but I know they talk about me behind my back all the time. I was already betrayed once, remember? If you two think about doing something, I'll just leave again. Watch me."

_Xion I must really be going crazy. I'm angry and restless all the time now. And for some reason Zexion and Mickey seem like enemies right now. I know they're trying to help me, but I can't see it that way. All I see is them talking and plotting things they don't want any of us to know. Sooner or later the truth will get out, and they'll get what's coming for them. It's mean, and crazy, and that's why I really think I'm losing it again. I mean, last time I was going to attack the entire Organization-well, half-if Riku hadn't stopped me. I'm crazy. Maybe I shouldn't hang around with Sora and them anymore._

"Roxas?" Kairi tiptoed up the stairs. She almost hated this place; it had once been her prison. Now, it was empty, and yet it still retained that feeling of imprisonment and hate. Just find Roxas and get out of here, she told herself. "Roxas? Where are you? Come out, please." Her pleading call echoed through the castle. Pure silence answered her call.

Roxas leaned on the railing in front of the window. He stared at the spot Kingdom Hearts had once been; his blue eyes were clouded over, the light in them fading.

_I don't know how much longer I'll be able to take this. This feeling…_

Kairi ran through an empty hall, panicking. "Roxas! Where are you?" She needed to find him, and fast.

…_of wanting to destroy it…_

"Roxas! What are you doing?!"

…_everything that had hurt us…_

He was leaning over the rail, almost falling down to the next floor. Kairi grabbed him, tried to pull him back up. But she couldn't make him bulge. "Roxas! Wake up!"

…_I want to create a perfect world, just for us…_

"Roxas!" The only reason he hadn't fallen yet was because she had hold of him.

…_where we can finally be happy._

"Roxas."

That one word, spoken by a voice silky smooth and full of hate, loathing, anger…Roxas slowly stood up straight, and turned. The shadow had fully materialized into Xemnas, and stood, watching the two at the railing.

"So you've come back here. Can't you see it yet? You will never be able to escape the darkness, foolish boy. Come, join me and I promise things will be better. Nothing will ever hurt you ever again. Especially that so-called 'heart' of yours." He smirked, and stepped closer to the frozen pair. "You know that, don't you? Nobodies can't have hearts. Because if we did, they would destroy us with all the feeling and hurting and caring. Wouldn't it be better to feel nothing, to be hurt by nothing?"

Roxas said nothing. Kairi was still clutching his shirt, and so noticed him shaking. He slowly began shaking his head, lips moving but making no sound. His hands clenched into fists, and she could see the darkness and light forming around them. Not good, she thought. He can't fight the shadow, not here!

"Would it?" Roxas's voice was low, and deadly. Xemnas raised his eyebrows, and one corner of his mouth lifted.

"Why don't you see for yourself?"

"Forgetting everything…every betrayal…every hurt, every memory…

"Yes, all of them will bother you no more."

"…forgetting her? You forgot her, didn't you?" The blond head came up, eyes glittering dangerously. Kairi suddenly wondered if hanging onto Roxas was a good thing at this point.

"Her? Oh, that puppet. Yes, I did. So what? She was just a…"

"She was my best friend!" Roxas shouted over Xemnas. The shadow took a step back, surprised. "She was everything to me, you cold-hearted bastard. What do you know about her? Nothing! And I'll kill you for using her!" Both Keyblades formed; Roxas jumped forward, intending to slice the abomination in front of him to pieces.

"Roxas, no!" Kairi was thrown to the side. Xemnas laughed, the echoes bouncing around them, and stepped back into a portal.

"Try catching me first, you pathetic excuse for a Nobody."

"I'll kill you!" Roxas's yelled echoed throughout the castle as he leapt after the shadow.

"Roxas!"

* * *

Sora was dozing on the beach when something crashed onto the sand next to him. He jumped up, Keyblade in hand, as the bundle rolled over and sprang up. "Zexion! What are you doing?"

"Where's Roxas?" The other man shouted. Sora took a step back, confused and scared of the older man. The usually calm man was agitated, appearance in complete disarray.

"I don't know. He left, again, and Kairi went after him cause she said she knew where he had gone…"

"Zexion! What are you…?" Riku never got to finish his question as a black portal opened right above his head. Darkness spilled out, along with three voices they knew all too well.

"Foolish boy…How can you not see the wonderfulness of the darkness?"

"Roxas don't-"

"I'll-"

The shadow opened another portal and flitted through it. Roxas was about to jump in and follow, but Zexion grabbed him and tackled him to the sand. Sora dropped his Keyblade and ran forward to catch the falling Kairi.

"Roxas you _idiot!_ Have you no clue what you might've-"

"Like hell! Get off of me you traitor! You think I don't know what you say about me, behind closed doors, when I'm not around? You think I can't tell when someone goes into my belongings and-" Roxas shoved Zexion off of him and rolled over on the sand. He knelt, glaring at Zexion. "I know that you're spying on me. Why? Is it not enough that I had my entire life ripped away from me? That I had to watch the person I cared most about die in my arms?! Is that not enough for you!"

Zexion stumbled back, suddenly terrified by what he saw in Roxas's glare. This was very bad. "Roxas, calm down and think for a moment." He tried to speak as calmly as he could. Even then he could see that words would have no effect on the enraged boy.

"Think? What do you-No. I refuse to go through this again. Never again. I'm going after that shadow, like it or not, and then I'll bring Xion back and we'll live together in our own world forever and we'll finally be happy…" Roxas dropped his gaze, then used his Keyblades to stand up. "I'm going. Good-bye, cause I'll never see any of you again, most likely." He turned, opened a portal, and left.

"What do you think you're doing?" Riku yelled, jumping forward too late. Zexion slumped on the sand, looking defeated. "Zexion! What just happened? Why is Roxas so-so not himself?"

The other man shook his head. "There are only two people who have ever seen what Roxas is truly like. And of the two, we'll never, for sure and forever, see again. The other, he hates. Just as much as he hates everything else, now. We were too late. I was too late."

"Too late to do what?" Sora gently set Kairi on her feet. The poor girl just stared at the spot Roxas had last been standing, before he left. Again. "What are you talking about?"

"Roxas," Zexion whispered. "He's finally lost it, good and true. It's too late for any of us to stop him; he'll just kill us in his murderous rage. No one can stop him now, not unless they want to…"

"Why?" Sora asked again. He kept a hand on Kairi, afraid she would fall over if left alone.

"Why? Because Roxas was never very stable in the first place. Since the very beginning, he didn't have any memories of his past, so he couldn't hold onto those, he never really believed Xemnas; he just wanted purpose. And lastly, which is the most important, Roxas had to watch the person he cared most about change into some else right in front of him, and then try to kill him. He had accidentally killed her instead, and that left marks on him, marks that only she could heal."

"And Xion is never coming back," Riku finished. He looked up, and took several deep breathes. "We are screwed."

"Zexion," Kairi whispered, voice shaking. "Nobodies…what do they belong to, the light or the dark?" Zexion turned his gaze on her. Kairi stood, visibly shaking, but looking right back at Zexion without a hint of fear. He shook his head.

"I'm not sure. Ansem thought Nobodies were on the edge, beings created by darkness when it took over the light. Maybe a little of both, or neither at all. Maybe we belong to neither, and instead belong to the nothingness."

"No." She shook her head. "No, I saw…saw into Roxas's heart, I think, and it was take over by the darkness. I felt it, right before he ran after that shadow, I grabbed him, and…" She gestured with her hands, unable to express her thoughts. "There's something wrong with him, yes, but I think we can stop it."

"How?" Sora asked, shoving his Keyblade into the sand. "If he's been taken over by the darkness, how are we supposed to bring him back?"

"King Mickey," Zexion and Riku said at the same time. "He would know how to."

Sora turned to the two, and winced. "I don't…" He looked away, biting his lip. "Oh, fine, we'll ask King Mickey. We have to find Roxas fast, before he gets himself killed."

* * *

King Mickey was waiting in the courtyard. He held up his hand as Riku opened his mouth. "I know, I felt that shadow slip through this world as he tried to escape the crazed Roxas. And no, I cannot stop him without breaking several laws that would get me killed."

"Now is not the time to go along with the Mastery laws, Mickey," Zexion grit out through clenched teeth.

"Needless to say, even if I did, there is no guarantee the boy would even want to live after this. And if he does, Roxas will never be the same." Mickey turned and waved Donald and Goofy forward. "That doesn't mean I won't try. We can still fix this, without doing anything reckless and thoughtless. Zexion, have you the tracker?"

"Yeah." From a hidden pocket the older man produced a weird machine. It was the size of his fist, and glowed a sickly green-brown color. "Though I doubt we'll need it. Just follow the trail Roxas left in the worlds they ran through."

"Interesting. Does it work?"

"Um…let's assume it does."

"You mean you haven't tested it yet?!"

"Consider this, Sora. I was just about to go through the final testing stages when I felt Roxas rip a hole in the webbing of the worlds. Not a portal, a freaking gaping hole. We need to fix that, too, when we're done catching idiot boy."

"Can we go now? I'm afraid that something may happen to Roxas while he's…insane." Kairi leaned on Sora and Riku, pale and still shaking.

"Yeah, Kairi. Don't worry. We have two Keyblade masters, a Heart Princess, two magicians, a boy who can wield the Keyblade too, I guess, and the most epic shield bearer of all time with us. We have a chance of saving Roxas, don't worry."

"And if we don't?"

"Riku, don't be so negative. Let's be gone." The portal opened, and swallowed the seven whole.

* * *

Roxas landed on grey sand, sending it flying all around him. A few feet away, shadow Xemnas did the same. He turned, and smirked at the boy. "You don't give up easy, do you? Pest. You'll just die faster this way."

"Like hell. I'm going to kill you, damn shadow. You shouldn't even exist."

"Neither should you."

"At least I grew a heart, or part of one. You, nothing. Selfish, evil, arrogant tyrant." Roxas was amazed at how calm he was. Here, right before him, was his greatest enemy, his greatest fear. It would end here, yet he felt nothing. Except the feeling of needing to destroy Xemnas, and everyone else who had hurt him.

_Roxas don't._

"It ends here."

"Yes, it ends here, pathetic Nobody."

* * *

a/n part two: I just remembered. In KH2, when you play as Roxas, you have to fight his shadow. He's a Nobody, right? Sora and Riku's shadows are their Heartless forms. Roxas doesn't have a Heartless form, cause he (supposedly) doesn't have a heart.

So what did Roxas fight?


	21. Chapter 20

_No, Roxas, stop this. Please!_

The seven landed in a world of grey sand and black rocks, jagged and deadly looking in the dark light. Zexion had barely closed the portal when they all had to duck to avoid getting hit by a shower of dark bolts. They shattered the rock behind the group, raining down pieces that cut hands and faces. Nearby something solid slammed into another rock.

"Cover!" Zexion yelled, coughing on the dust and sand stirred up. He and Donald made a barrier around the group. It flickered blue-yellow, illuminating their surroundings. Grey sand, black rock rearing up to the sky, and a giant shadow just a few feet away. "Weapons at the ready! Mickey, it's almost time-go find Roxas!"

"No need," Xemnas intoned. He smirked at the teen-sized hole in a rock. "He's already gone. You were too late, I'm afraid."

"Afraid? You?" a voice coughed. Roxas fell out of the hole, landing on both feet on the grey sand. In his left hand was Oathkeeper; Oblivion was a ways away, lodged in yet another rock. "Heh, that'll be the day. Come on, got anything better to hit me with? Or was that all you had, Xemnas?"

The shadow growled at the condescending, mocking tone. "Fool, I will destroy you! You were lucky to survive that. Now, this you will not." He reached up, creating a black cloud. "Good-bye, pathetic Nobody."

"No! Roxas, move you idiot!" Riku ran out, trying to get close enough to attack the shadow while still far away enough to not get killed. Not an easy task, with all the pieces of black rock that were still falling. Sora followed, weaving in and out of the falling shards. One hit him on the shoulder; he winced and doggedly moved on. Kairi stood behind Zexion, hands held together in front of her chest, almost as if she was praying. King Mickey ran to one side, and momentarily disappeared. He reappeared on top of a huge outcropping of rock, raining down magic, Keyblade in one hand.

_Cut it out or you'll get killed!_

Riku had just reached were he thought Roxas was, but he was gone. Looking around, he spotted the blond trying to get his other Keyblade. "No! Roxas, forget it! You'll-" Too late. Xemnas had already caught him in one hand. He threw the boy into the sand, causing a huge explosion of it upwards. "Roxas!"

"On it!" Sora ran around the frozen Riku and headed for the crater. Xemnas was laughing, his cruel, evil, heartless laugh, and pointed at the crater.

"See what you get for defying me? Mwahahahahaha!"

Sora reached the crater, and barely dodged a dark bolt thrown at him. Roxas lay on the sand, eyes closed, hands clutching both Keyblades. He grabbed the non-moving boy and hauled them both out of the crater, heading for the safety of the magic barrier.

"No you don't!"

Goofy shielded them as Xemnas launched a barrage of bolts at them. The black cloud above his head grew larger, and darker. It seemed to suck in the very darkness itself, and evil as well.

Sora and Roxas almost ran into the two magic castors. Zexion grabbed Roxas, who seemed to be reviving. Donald steadied Sora, then resumed launching magic at the shadow. Goofy, after a pause, ran out again to help Riku. The other teen was still attacking Xemnas, trying to stop him from building the dark cloud up more. Kairi was frozen where she was standing, hands still in prayer position.

_Let your friends help, Roxas. You can't do this on your own._

"Roxas?" The boy stirred in Zexion's arms. "Are you alright? What are you thinking, attacking the shadow all on your own? Got a death wish?"

"Let go of me." The blue eyes opened; they glared up at Zexion. Roxas pushed himself up, and stood shakily. Zexion didn't try to stop him. Something in his cerulean eyes told the older man that this was something Roxas had to do. Just like the seashell, it was unexplainable; it just had to be done. Roxas closed his eyes, and summoned his Keyblades back. They reappeared, almost willingly it seemed, glowing either white or dark.

"Sora. Are you gonna help me?" He turned to his Somebody. Sora shook his head.

"You have to ask? My friend's fighting to help you as well. You really think I'd just let him fight alone, or not protect my home and island?" Sora grinned at Roxas, who surprisingly grinned back. "Let's go."

Zexion shook his head as the two raced for the shadow, Keyblades at the ready. He looked back at the frozen Kairi, who now seemed to glow a little. _What's the Heart princess doing now?_

Riku jumped to one side and dodged Xemnas's hand, then made his way up to King Mickey. Sora ran right below them, Roxas going the other way around Xemnas. When they were directly across from each other, they struck, four Keyblades all at once. Mickey, Donald, and Zexion launched huge bursts of magic right as Xemnas was reeling from the attack.

"What are we going to do? We can't beat it." Riku swung his blade, glaring hopelessly at the shadow. Mickey looked at him out of the corner of his eye. He didn't answer, just kept throwing more magic. Riku watched Sora and Roxas weave around Xemnas, tripping him up while preventing him from concentrating on building up the black cloud. It floated above all of them, a huge hole in the sky, menacing and evil.

"Look around you, Riku," came at last the quiet reply. "What do you see?"

"Huh?" Riku gave the world an once-over. "I don't see anything special. What do you want me to see?"

Mickey shook his head and gave the boy a sad smile. "Look at the people, not the world. What do you see, inside of each one of us?"

Riku furrowed his brow, and looked at Sora. He could just see a slight glow around the other boy. Same glow was following Goofy and Donald around, and Mickey had one too, just a bit brighter than everyone else. "Is that…what, their hearts? Then…" He turned; Zexion had the same glow, very dim though; and Kairi was full of it, brighter than Mickey.

"She is a Heart Princess. They are the physical representations of light in the worlds. Now look at Roxas."

Riku turned. Roxas was slashing at Xemnas's chest from atop a rock, Sora backing him up on the ground. He was full of the same glow as Kairi, but his... "Is something wrong with him?"

_Roxas…be careful. Watch out!_

"No. We'll see. Just wait." Mickey had stopped throwing magic; he simply stood, watching the battle below, waiting with Keyblade in hand. Riku gave him a confused look, and started down the rock to help Sora and Roxas fight. Just as he was about to jump, a huge crack echoed throughout the area.

"Sora! Roxas!" Kairi had found her voice again. She was still standing frozen, but now she watched the battle with a horrified expression. "No-get away from him!"

Xemnas had finally completed his cloud of darkness. He lifted one hand towards it, an evil grin on his face. "Now, face the wrath of the darkness! Die, scum!" He brought it down, crashing it onto the sand. And the two standing right below him.

Sora stood frozen, watching it fall at him. Suddenly he was thrown to one side; and the cloud crashed down, right on top of Roxas. "NO!" A huge storm of sand and dust blew up, choking everyone for precious moments; when it cleared, only Xemnas remained. He began to laugh, throwing back his head and spreading his arms wide.

"See? I am almighty! No one, nothing may stand against me! Kneel to me, the king of all the worlds!"

_Roxas, no._

Everyone stared at the spot Roxas last stood on. Nothing remained, just sand blackened by the explosion. Sora refused to believe what he was seeing; Riku couldn't either. Kairi was frozen again, her eyes glassy as she witnesses something only she could see. Donald and Goofy looked to their King; he just leaned on his Keyblade. Zexion fell to his knees, thinking that they had just lost their only hope.

_Please get up._

Sand was piled up against the surrounding rocks. As Xemnas continued in his victory speech, oblivious to his surroundings, one of the piles shifted ever so slightly. The sand moved again, sliding to the side as something started to stand up. As the figure stood up, the sand fell away in waves. The two Keyblades flashed; another flash as blue eyes opened and looked up at the shadow in front of him.

_Thank you._

"Think you're done so soon? I'm not dead yet, so better get ready for another attack, damn bastard." Xemnas whirled around, only to find Roxas standing behind him. He took several steps back, clearly afraid of the small boy standing there, just watching him.

Roxas closed his eyes, and dropped his head. _I remember. Why I'm fighting. For Xion._ He swung his Keyblades out, eyes still closed. _I almost forgot, but-I will never forget her. I will never forget any of them, never again. My past, I couldn't decide, but I can change my future. Our future._

"Get ready, Xemnas. Cause only one of us is going to come out of this fight." Roxas took one step back, then began his final charge at the shadow.

Riku, Sora, Kairi, Zexion, Goofy, and Donald all watched in horror as the blond charged. They all wished they could stop him. Mickey watched with a small smile on his face. Riku noticed, and began to look closer at Roxas. He was running full-tilt, but something was wrong with his Keyblade. Oathkeeper seemed…different. Like someone else was holding it at the same time Roxas was. But that was impossible…

Wait. What was that, there, right beside…no. Roxas's shadow seemed to run alongside him, one hand stretched towards Oathkeeper.

No. It was a person, slowly forming, holding the Keyblade-

_That's impossible._

Both ran towards Xemnas, each wielding a Keyblade. Oblivion to Oathkeeper, they charged.

_They aren't real…what is going on?_

Xemnas stumbled back, trying to avoid both slashes. He couldn't dodged the next set, and fell. Oblivion and Oathkeeper rose up, came back down. A final scream-

_Two people. Not one. __**Two**_

-and the shadow of hate, anger, malicious that was Xemnas shattered. Pieces of darkness floated up, and disappeared. The two figures landed on the sand, sliding. Turning, they flashed identical grins, blue eyes lit up. "See? You're not the best after all! We are, and you won't hurt us anymore!" Two voices, one high and sweet, the other lower and trembling.

_I have to be dreaming._

Riku watched as Roxas heard the other voice, and slowly turned. Black hair tossed by the wind, blue eyes glowing in happiness, and a smile of pure light. Roxas had barely turned when the second figure ran to him, almost knocking him over in a hug.

"Roxas! You did it, you really did! I always knew you could, always always always!" Roxas dropped his Keyblade; it dissolved into black smoke. He looked down at the figure holding him, arms tight around his waist.

"Xi…Xion?" She looked up, her smile almost blinding him. He remembered how he had longed for that smile, that voice, how he had longed for her… "Xion!" Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, Roxas spun Xion around, laughing. "Xion!"

Riku stared at the two in amazement. Next to him, Mickey put his Keyblade away. He turned to the mouse. "You knew, didn't you?"

"No, I guessed at the last moment." Mickey walked down to his charges, both of which were frozen watching the scene unfold in front of them. "Zexion! Open the portal-I expect the boy'll collapse any second now." Right as he said that, Roxas stumbled and fell. Xion caught him with a laugh, cradling his head in her lap.

Sora finally moved, and ran to Kairi, who had fallen when Oathkeeper had switched hands. He pulled her up, checking to see if she was hurt in any way. Kairi shook her head, and pointed at the two still on the sand. Slowly standing with Sora's help, she made her way over to Xion and Roxas. Zexion stayed were he was kneeling on the sand. After a moment he looked up at the King.

"You know, from now on I don't think we can say anything is impossible. Because Roxas will go and prove us wrong." He shook his head and stood up, giving Donald and Goofy a knock on the head as he passed them. "Wake up. We've gotta get out of here before we get attacked by something else. And who knows what that'll be." Reaching the unconscious boy, Zexion lifted up Roxas. Xion stood up, locking eyes with Kairi for just a moment before everyone was whisked away through a portal, back to King Mickey's castle.

* * *

"So, Xion, how are you feeling?" Zexion asked the girl. She was seated across from the former Organization member, Riku on her left. Sora sat on Zexion's right, Kairi beside him. King Mickey sat on the corner of the table, watching.

"Fine, I guess." Xion looked around her, at the room they were in. "It seems like I woke up from a very long dream. Most of which entailed of Roxas's experiences as he started living with Riku, Sora, and Kairi." She smiled at the three. Kairi smiled back while Riku looked away. Sora tilted his head to one side.

"Why don't you look like Kairi, if you're, ah," he stumbled over his words, not knowing what he should say. Riku rolled his eyes.

"She knows everything, Sora. Castle Oblivion, her true existence, Xemnas's lies, all of them." He began to say something else, then changed his mind and looked away again. Xion laughed.

"I never thought I'd see the day Riku actually had nothing to say." Kairi smiled, and gave a small laugh as well. Riku turned slightly pink. "Everything's changed, though, during…how long was I gone?"

"Uh…about half a year?" Zexion guessed. "I haven't really thought about it much."

"Wow. Zexion, not thinking. This must mean the end of life as we know it," Sora teased. Everyone laughed that time, even Mickey. The mouse shook his head, and turned his gaze on the door to his left.

"I regret to pull apart this gathering, but I do believe leaving Roxas alone, even in sleep, is not the smartest thing to do. I suggest we all rest now, after that battle. Xion, would you stay with Roxas?" The girl nodded, her blue eyes also on the door. She stood up, and gave a small bow to those still sitting.

"It was nice to meet you at last, Sora, and you too, Kairi. Bye Riku, Zexion, King Mickey." Xion turned and left through the door. Before she closed it, she could hear Sora and Riku already ragging on each other, and Kairi's sharp rebuke to them both. She smiled, and leaned on the closed door, watching the sleeping boy on the couch. He was curled up on his side, one hand clutching something in his shirt, the other hanging off the edge, as if reaching for something. Xion smiled again, he special smile for Roxas, and went over to sit next to the couch.

"I'm here, Roxas," she whispered, taking his hand. "We're together again. And we'll always be together, forever."

* * *

The dark blue-haired man looked up as invisible lighting crackled through the meadow. He could barely make out its outline as it struck the ground a few yards away from where he was sitting, reading his new letter from his counter part in the other world. He didn't bother to get up as several others ran to the site, gathering around the rosebush that now grew there. A shadow fell over the paper.

"Did he really…?" the giant asked. A moment later everyone crowded around the bush clutched at their heads. All over the world, people dressed in black all grabbed at their heads. The giant didn't, but the wince on his face told the blue-haired man all her needed to know.

"Yes, I think we can safely say Roxas did it. Xion came back. Now we can finally start fixing the mess from ten years ago." The giant said nothing, just watched the rosebush grow at an amazing rate, till it produced two flowers: one blue, the other pink. The man with the phoenix tattoo on his arm leaned back in the grass, smiling at the clouds above him.

_Inezo, it's almost time. He brought Xion back, and has fully stabilized now. We can finally fix that mess, and restore those lost lives at last._

_

* * *

a/n:_ Yes. Almost done. And afterwards...sequal time. ^^

One more chappie to go, but not till Sunday. Tomorrow I'm going to an anime expo in Sun Valley. Anyone else going, look for people cosplaying as Organization XIII members. You just might meet the authoress of this fanfic!

**HIPPIE GIRL SAYS**: ALMOST DONE. I LOVE YOU ALL FOR READING MY STORY. KISSES AND COOKIES TO EVERYONE!!


	22. Chapter 21

Zexion groaned and lay his head down on the table. He had gotten up early to write that letter and send it. Now he wished he had waited till about noon to get up. Masters, he was tired as hell. Note to self, he thought, after fighting giant killer shadow sleep in for about a day before attempting any serious magic.

Footsteps; Zexion raised his head up enough to see Riku wander into the room. He, Sora, and Kairi had stayed here last night, too tired to go home. Plus Riku said he wanted to be here when Roxas woke up again. Why, only he knew. Zexion wasn't sure he wanted to know. The others were too happy to stay as well.

"Either of them up yet?" Riku asked, jerking his head at the closed door behind Zexion. He shook his head, not even wanting to try and talk. The boy shrugged and walked over. Kairi walked into the room, yawning, just as Riku returned.

"Where's a camera?"

"Uh, Riku? I don't know, but you can go ask Queen Minnie. I just saw her outside, in the corridor." Kairi sat down next to Zexion, who was falling asleep on the table. Riku ran out the door. "Are you okay, Zexion? Got up too early?" He didn't answer, just turned his head to glare at the girl. Sora stumbled into the room next, rubbing his eyes.

"Heeey, stop glaring at Kairi. Your own fault for getting up early. Where's Riku gone off to?" Sora plopped down next to Kairi. Zexion groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. Riku ran back into the room, a small camera in hand. He carefully opened the door leading to the room Roxas and Xion were in as the others watched, curious. Kairi got up and followed Riku into the room.

"Shhh," he whispered, aiming the camera at the couch. Zexion came after the two, poking his head in the room. He had gone in last night before he had gone to bed. Xion had fallen asleep on the floor, head on the couch and holding Roxas's hand. He covered her up with a blanket before he left. Now, Xion was still asleep on the floor, but she had a new pillow now. Roxas had apparently gotten up sometime during the night and curled up with Xion on the floor, her head on his chest. The blanket covered them both, clasped hands on top of it.

"Riku," Kairi whispered, smiling in spite of herself. Riku took several pictures, then backed out of the room. He had to drag a silently laughing Sora into the dining room as well. Zexion followed the two, shaking his head at them.

"Honestly, Riku, why?" he asked the silver-haired boy who was currently giving Sora a noogie. He looked up, pausing long enough for the other boy to escape.

"Hey! Why do you think, Zexion? Blackmail of course." Riku grinned. Kairi smacked him.

"No you will not!"

"Kidding, Kairi, jeez. Harsh woman. I'm gonna keep it for…sentimental value." Riku put the camera in one pocket and sat down. The double doors leading to the outside hallway opened, and several servants cam in with trays of food. King Mickey followed, with Goofy and Donald behind him.

"All awake, except for the boy wonder himself. Good." The King sat down next to Zexion, who was once again trying to fall asleep on the table. Kairi and Sora sat across from them, while Donald sat next to Riku, Goofy on the other side. "Zexion, are you dead yet?"

"I wish. Leave me alone."

"Too bad. I was really hoping I could have a talk with you, Zexion." They all looked up; Roxas, still holding Xion's hand, was standing behind the table. His blue eyes were bright once more, and he had on a mischievous grin as he looked at Zexion. The man in question only groaned again, really wishing now he had stayed asleep.

"Hey." Without thinking about it, Roxas lead Xion to the table and sat down next to Sora. He grinned, and examined the girl on Roxas's other side more thoroughly. Last night everyone had been too tired to really get a good look at her, and now Sora could see why being around Kairi would hurt Roxas. The two were similar, other than the hair. But there was something else, something inside that separated them into two very different girls. That, and the fact that Xion was in her old Organization clothes.

"Hey, Xion, don't you want to put on some other clothes?" Kairi leaned around Sora to ask. She had also noticed the girl's lack of normal clothes. "I'm sure we can find something for you in the castle that would fit."

"Would you help me? That would be wonderful." Xion smiled at the other, hand still owned by Roxas. The boy glanced at the others, noticing the way Riku pointedly looked away from him. He rolled his eyes, let go of Xion's hand at last, and began eating. Zexion watched the two, wondering what they would do now.

_Perhaps I could…nah. Let them decide on their own._

When the food was gone, Xion and Kairi left, Goofy following. Donald stayed, wanting to talk with Zexion about the magic he had cast yesterday. He had never seen anything like that before. King Mickey sat back, watching Riku play with the camera under the table. Sora and Roxas watched him, both wondering why the other boy laughed every few seconds.

"Riku? What are you hiding under the table?" Roxas finally asked, eyeing him with suspicion. Riku looked up, pretending to be shocked.

"Me? I'm not hiding anything. Maybe you should, though, next time you snuggle with Xion."

"What? Riku, let me see!"

When the two girls re-entered the room, Roxas was holding Sora down. He was trying to grab the camera in the other boy's hand while Riku was laughing himself silly in the chair. Zexion, Donald, and King Mickey all watched, wondering if they should break it up or let the boys kill each other.

"Sooooora, give me the damn camera!"

"No way, these pictures are priceless!"

"Sooooora!"

Xion and Kairi looked at each other then doubled over in laughter. The boys on the floor looked up, Roxas with one arm around Sora's neck. The later was on his back, the hand with the camera stretched away from Roxas. The identical looks of surprise on their two faces were even more priceless.

"Xion!" Roxas jumped up and ran over. He stopped right at Xion's side, blushing slightly. Xion looked up, grinning at the boy. She was wearing a light blue shirt to mid-thigh, with dark blue capris and a pair of dark shoes. Kairi went over to Riku and smacked him again, still laughing.

"Wah! Kairi, why me?"

"You took the pictures! Sora, get off the floor. And give me that camera." Sora didn't argue; he got up and handed the camera to Kairi, who promptly gave it to King Mickey. "Keep that away from idiots, please."

"Okay," the mouse replied, amused. Roxas turned to Zexion, deep in conversation with Donald. The duck nodded his thanks to the older man, and left the room. Roxas walked over to him, Xion trailing behind. Zexion noticed that once again their hands were linked together.

"Zexion, those letters you write all the time. Who do you send them to?" Roxas asked bluntly. Zexion wasn't surprised that he knew; after all, he had come to Castle Oblivion a number of times and seen Zexion write quite a few letters.

"You really want to know?" The boy nodded. Behind him, Xion was looking out one of the windows into the courtyard. "Fine. His name is Inezo. Happy?"

"Yeah. Inezo…" He tilted his head slightly, thinking. "Can we go back to the islands now? I think everyone deserves a vacation after what happened."

"Sure Roxas. Just be careful to not start any more wars on your way home," King Mickey joked. Roxas grinned, and tugged on Xion's hand. He whispered something in her ear, then opened a portal.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Roxas and Xion disappeared into the portal; Riku got up and followed. Sora went next, and Kairi last, after a look at Zexion. He nodded at her silent question, and she smiled and left.

"What did she want to know?"

"Whether on not Inezo and I are linked in any way. She guessed already, simply by name."

"Perhaps she remembers."

"I doubt it. Because if she did, she'd be wondering why they're so similar."

"Why?"

"Nobody knows, Mickey. And maybe we never will know the truth."

"Maybe we aren't meant to know the truth."

"Maybe."

* * *

Ten days later Riku was watching Roxas and Sora kill each other on the beach. Next to him, Zexion also watched with mild amusement. Kairi and Xion stood a few feet away, laughing and yelling at the two idiots.

"He's back to normal."

"He was asking about you yesterday. Wanted to know where you were; apparently, he has questions for you."

Zexion sighed; Roxas having questions was never a good thing. He remembered what Kairi had told, about Roxas asking what love was, and grinned. The boy was smart, and determined, but man, did he know nothing. "Do you know what he wanted to ask me?"

"No, but Xion does. No surprise." Riku looked over at the beach; Roxas was missing and Sora was down by the waterline, cleaning his shirt. Steps on the sand warned them of the boy's approach.

"Zexion." Roxas sat next to the older man and looked up at the sun.

"You'll go blind doing that," Riku commented. Roxas squinted his eyes and closed them.

"We're leaving." His statement was met with silence. Both had known this was coming, eventually. "Xion and I, we're leaving. We want to find a world we can call our own home, since…Well, this island is wonderful, but it's not home. I wanted to tell you because one, I'd knew you'd freak if I once again disappeared out of thin air, and two because I want you to know why. I don't hate you guys."

"We know Roxas." Riku smiled at the boy. "I was waiting for this. You've been restless lately, even with your girlfriend around."

"What's a girlfriend? A girl that's a friend?" Roxas looked blankly at Riku. The other boy blinked, not knowing how to explain what dating was to Roxas.

"Roxas, later. Any other reasons for leaving?" Zexion waved his hand at Riku. "Trying to find someone, perhaps?"

"Yeah." Roxas turned to the beach and watched Xion. She was chasing a little kid around. "The rest of us. The Organization, I mean. Xemnas and Xenohart, they lied about so much. I don't believe Nobodies just go nowhere when they die, cause then we'd forget them just like Replicas. I wan to look for the world, or worlds, they ended up in. Even if some of them hate me, or whatever, I still want them to come back."

Zexion gave Roxas a sidelong look. The boy was watching the waves now, eyes far away. He sighed and sat back, running a hand through his hair. "Fine, good luck with that. Don't get yourself killed, and you have to come back here every few worlds."

"What? Yeah, fine, but you believe me?"

"Remember the letters? Inezo lives in the world Nobodies go to when they die. He's found no way in or out, except death. And breaking the barrier around the world-if anyone can do it, it's you. Roxas, you do the impossible on a daily basis." He grinned at the embarrassed boy. Roxas shook his head and jumped down from the palm tree.

"So I can go and look for them? Yeah…finally, we'll all be together again." Roxas grinned and ran for the beach, yelling Xion's name. Riku watched him go, eyebrow raised.

"Doesn't he also have some issues to work out with the other members?"

"Later, Riku. We don't want suicidal Roxas back now do we?"

* * *

_Xion,_

_Heh, I'm still writing to you even though you're here with me. Habit, I guess._

_Today we left, me and Xion. Everybody went to King Mickey's castle to say good-bye. He gave us a couple of thins that would be useful on the journey. Bags, food, munny, and some other things that I'm not sure will help us, but whatever. I forgot to mention, the cloak I had since I first woke up, it's gone. It really was your cloak, huh? _

_I'm not afraid anymore. I can finally control my own fate, and I love it. We can do whatever we want._

_Before we left, everyone shared ice cream. Sea-salt ice cream one last time, at least until we come back. I can't wait till we find the others. Then the Organization can be one again, and it doesn't have to be bad anymore. Xenohart's gone, Kingdom Hearts has been released, and Xion is here with me. Life can't get any better for me._

_Axel, just you wait. I'll come find you, and then we can talk. The three of us will be best friends once more._

* * *

"Roxas left?" Axel asked Inezo. A few feet away Lexaeus stood watching the pair.

The dark blue-haired man sighed. "Yes, and Xion too. They're going to try and break into this world, and release everyone in here."

"Sounds like fun. When will they start jumping around?" Axel turned to glare at Marluxia. The other man smirked, eyes roaming over the hills. "Nice at this place is, I want out."

"Hear hear." Demyx played a short chord on his sitar.

"Why are you even here anyway, Inezo? You aren't a Nobody." Axel wanted to know. Inezo rolled his eyes; he had already told them why several times. It seems that Axel had a very short attention span, or he just wanted to annoy the man.

"Axel, I'm here because I am. Got it?" Inezo didn't bother waiting for an answer; he stood up and left, walking towards the meadow below the group. He didn't realize someone had followed him until they spoke.

"Is Roxas going to be the key to releasing those three apprentices?" Lexaeus asked. Inezo stopped.

"I'm not the one you should be asking. Ask the boy himself." As he continued down the hill, Inezo remembered that last battle._ It feels like I'm forgetting something. What?_ He shook his head; no use trying to remember. One day he'd wake up knowing what he had forgotten, and that would be that.

_But why do I keep thinking about that family?_

…_Ventus di Tortilonis. I'm forgetting something…_

* * *

Roxas looked up at the pale green sky, and held out his hand to Xion. "Come on, let's get going."

Xion smiled back, and stood up with his help. "Those Heartless aren't going to hunt themselves, I know. Race you to that forest!" She ran, with Roxas following. He stopped suddenly, a thought popping up in his head.

_Ventus di Tortilonis. Who is that?_

"Roxas? Are you coming?"

"Yeah, just wait! I'll catch you, just wait!" He took off again, the thought only a small pebble in his mind again.

_Roxas…di Tortilonis. The twin brothers of the Tortilonises. Who are they?_

_Is that…me?_

But just as suddenly as the thoughts had come, they were gone, and Roxas ran on to his future.

* * *

a/n: Done. The end...or is it? Two more chaps after this, epilogue/preview and surprise for last story. This is going to be a trilogy. Fun.

Yesterday I adopted a family of Hamtaro stuffed animals at the PMX. They're so cute!!

**HIPPIE GIRL SAYS: **STORY FINISHED. TIME TO START SEQUAL!


	23. Promise of Hope preview

Roxas lay on the grass beneath a green canopy. Above him the trees shook slightly in an unfelt breeze. Birds chirped and flew while squirrels ran along tree branches, chattering at one another. Nearby, leaves scattered as a deer ran from the clearing in the woods. It had been peaceful until a crash had brought these weird people to the forest.

"Roxas, we're in another forest." Xion lay a few feet away, watching a bird hop near her outstretched hand. It pecked at one of her fingers, and Xion giggled, causing the bird to fly away.

"I can see that. What world is this, the third?"

"Fourth. We have to go back or else the others'll track us down. And we don't want that."

"I would ask how, but I wouldn't put it past Zexion to slip something into my pack to track us." Roxas sat up, brushing leaves off his person. He stood, looking around the clearing and the peaceful forest. That is, until a shriek in the distance sent shivers up his spine and all the animals running.

"Heartless," Xion whispered, sitting up as well. Roxas held out his hand and helped her up, searching for which direction the shriek had come. Another one told him to go left, and they both took off running towards the sound.

"Hey, Roxas. Race you to the Heartless!"

"You're on!" Roxas ran even faster, trees flashing past him. This is amazing, he thought. To run like this, and through a forest! I'm surprised I haven't hit a tree yet. And that was when the sandy brown-haired boy ran into something black, and very pissed off. "Crap! Watch ou-" The Heartless sent him flying with a sweep of its huge wings. Roxas flew backwards, into the canopy, and managed to hold onto a branch some twelve feet into the air.

"Roxas!" Xion had stopped in time, and circled around, to the opposite side of the clearing. She came up behind the Heartless, now watching Roxas with hungry eyes, and slashed at it with her Keyblade.

_Oathkeeper._

Roxas climbed on top of the branch and ran to the end of it. Just as it began to bend, he jumped and landed square on the Heartless. It gave several loud yells and crashed into the surrounding trees, trying to get the boy off its back. But to no luck; Roxas was holding on tight, and gave it a one-for with his Keyblade.

_Oblivion._

"Roxas! Jump down!" A huge, gigantic tree was beginning to tilt. Roxas looked up and saw it. He quickly released his hold and fell off the Heartless, almost slung into Xion by its panicky movements. It didn't notice the boy jumping, and continued to crash about. Xion and Roxas knelt, hidden by leaves, and watched the Heartless crash into one final tree. With a huge, shuddering sigh, the gigantic tree gave up its hold on the earth. It tilted, and fell point-blank on top of the Heartless.

"Whoa."

The Heartless gave one last shriek, then stilled underneath the huge trunk. A few seconds later it dissolved into darkness, the hearts it had collected floating up into the tree tops. Roxas and Xion came to stand by it, Keyblades in hand. They watched it disappear entirely, like they had for every Heartless they destroyed in the previous worlds. Why, neither could say. They just did.

* * *

"Hey, Roxas. Let me see that book you took from Marluxia's room." Xion leaned against a tree trunk, watching the sparks from their fire disappear into the night sky. Roxas looked up; he was writing in his journal, as he had done before they left the other three worlds. They had dispatched a number of Heartless already, and Xion wanted to go back. Roxas did too, because he had found something he knew Zexion would love to see.

"Yeah. Here. Don't know why you want it; the other two could be read if you knew the language, but that one's unreadable." He handed he the book that he kept from raiding Marluxia's room. It interested him, even after Zexion had told him there was little chance of Roxas ever being able to read it. As Xion flipped through the pages, with their almost-understandable-but-not-readable words, he pulled out the other book in his bag.

It was filled to the brim with a child's handwriting. On the first page there was a spot for a name, and Roxas could read the last two words: _di Tortilonis. _There were quite a number of pages he could read, and one of them said something about a Keyblade and the darkness. Zexion would love this, he thought when he first found in the first world they had visited. It had been underneath a rock near the ruins of what once was a grand house or castle.

"Xion, who do you think wrote this book? A Keyblade user, maybe?" Xion looked up from her book, face lit up by the fire. She slowly closed the book in her lap, thinking. Roxas knew better than to disturb her when she was thinking.

"I don't know. From what Zexion implies, the only Keyblade users still alive are the King, Sora, and us. Riku can use the Keyblade, but he can't summon one on his own. Maybe it was, but that person is gone now. I don't know." Xion gave the book back to Roxas, and stretched her arms. "Well, I'm going to bed now. In the morning we can give the forest another look, and if we don't find any Heartless we'll go back to the islands. Good-night, Roxas."

"Good-night, Xion." Roxas watched her spread out a blanket, then curl up in another on top of it. Her eyes closed and Roxas was alone in the clearing. He watched her for a moment more before turning to the two books in his lap. Opening up the one Xion gave him, Roxas flipped through the pages, much as she had done. He stopped half-way through the book, staring at the strange letters on the page.

"Book," he whispered, "show me your secrets. I command you!" He knew it wouldn't work, but he wanted to try saying that since he first found the book. He shook his head and was about to close the book when he realized he could read the words on the page.

_December 19_

_Dear journal,_

_Today I officially started living at the Academy. I met three Keyblade Masters, and they all liked me. Said I was a fresh look on the outside world. I don't know what they meant, but whatever. I'm finally away from my family, and I couldn't be happier_

_But I'm also by myself. I miss Ven. He is my brother, even though everyone says he's way better than me. Screw them, he always says. We're twins, and so we are exact;y alike. I hope so, because if he doesn't come to the Academy as well soon I'll get real lonely._

_But enough moping. I summoned my Keyblade today, for one of the Masters. They wanted to see what it was like, and to tel me its name. He can do that; it's really cool! Master Bivora says he doesn't do that for everyone, so i should feel especially honored. He said the name of my Keyblade was --------. Strange, but it fits my pure black Keyblade._

_Master Bivora said that the name of your weapon says a lot about you. I wonder what my Keyblade says about me._

Roxas stared at the words, mesmerized by what he could read among the strange letters. Keyblade Masters, he thought. So there were more of them, once. But what happened to them?

Across the fire Xion turned over in her sleep and Roxas realized how long he'd been staring at the page. Quickly, he placed a piece of paper in the book so he could get back to that page easily, and put it in his pack. Getting out his own blankets, Roxas rolled up in them and watched the fire dance above the wood logs. He didn't remember falling asleep, only the cackle of the flames and childish laughter floating away in the woods…

* * *

"_Who are you?" the young boy asked. Another boy stood in front of him, covered in leaves and mud. He looked just like the young heir._

"_I'm your twin brother, of course. Didn't anyone tell you that?" the leave covered boy asked. Neither heir nor wild child were older than four._

"_No, I'm an only child. Momma and Poppa say so." The young heir reached out and pulled a leave out of the other's hair. "Why are you such a mess?"_

"_Fell out of a tree near the riverbank. Miya says everyone knows we're twins. So maybe they just didn't tell ya for some reason. Stupid adults." This last statement was punctuated with a kick._

_The young heir had to admit that, for a young boy raised like he was, the other was pretty smart. "Maybe they forgot, or were gonna tell later, like at tonight's party. It's my birthday. Wait, ours, since we're twins, right?"_

"_Yeah, only I never get nothin'. Hey, we're twins, so can I come with you tonight? I'd love to go to a party. Never been to one, not 'afore now." The boy grinned, shedding leaves as he moved._

"_Yeah, that would be fun! Let's go tell Momma and Poppa now!" The heir grabbed the other boy's hand and they began running for the large house down the path._

"_Wait! What's you name?" The wild boy was pulling the heir along, and looked back._

"_You first."_

"_I'm Ventus, but that's weird. I like Ven better."_

"_Cool. Ventus. My name is Roxas. Come, let's hurry up!"_

"_Okay!"_

* * *

* * *

Roxas sat up, reaching out for a hand that wasn't there. As Xion ran over and knelt next to him in the dawn light, he suddenly forgot what had bothered him.

"Roxas? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just…nothing, I guess. Come on, let's pack up and get back to the island." Xion smiled, and hugged Roxas.

"Alright. Let's get going." She got up, leaving a very confused and red Roxas behind, staring after her. He shook his head and jumped up as well, grabbing his things. The portal was open; and they walked through it without a backwards glance.

* * *

a/n: One more special to go. It'll be up...maybe tomorrow. I'm abou to go to another of my sis's concert's. This time it's at my high school.

I'm already starting the sequal, called _Promise of Hope._ Next chap will be preview for the last story, _Road to Destiny._

**HIPPIE GIRL SAYS: **PEACE OUT UNTILL AFTER CHRISTMAS BREAK. SEE YOU ALL LATER!!


	24. preview

a/n: And now for the preview of _Roads of Destiny. _Love it hate it I really don't care. Don't want spoilers for the sequal then don't read this chappie.

* * *

Riku slammed against the crystal wall. His blade went skittering away over the ice. Sora faced a similar fate; he flew up and into a frozen tree, one Keyblade dropping. He managed to hold onto the other, though. Roxas had managed to dodge Arton's attack, and instead skidded away, sliding on the ice. Xion retrieved Oathkeeper from where it had been imbedded in the ice. Riku ran to get his own weapon before Arton could launch another attack.

"Riku!" Roxas slid up to his side. He was holding Sora's fallen Keyblade in one hand; the other swung Oblivion in lazy circles. "We can't get close to him. He just blasts us away. We need Zexion or Donald here, to help us fight magic with magic. None of us are good enough to fight back for long."

"Well, what else can we do?" Xion asked, sliding into the two and pushing them away from a chunk of falling ice. "Maybe if we all attack with magic at once we can stop him long enough to either escape or get in a few good hits."

"Thanks, Roxas." Sora took his Keyblade back from Roxas. He had managed to get out of the frozen tree without cutting himself open. "I don't know about you three, but I can't shoot magic for very long. We have to get out of here before someone gets seriously hurt."

"Wait. What if we just hold him off till Kairi can bring help?" Riku suggested. The others thought, and then nodded. "Yeah, distract him until the others come. Small magic from a distance, annoy him by all attacking at once from different directions, things like that. Got it?"

"Good idea," Roxas and Sora agreed. Xion grinned, and swung Oathkeeper towards the man standing on the ice, watching them.

"Then let's get started soon, or he'll start it for us." She was right; Arton was getting restless. Blue fire raced around his feet; his ice sword flickered from one color to another. His green eye was starting to glow; his purple one watched them with a burning intensity.

"Right. One, two, let's go!" Roxas shot away, sliding on the ice. Out of all four, he was the most mobile on the ice. Sora ran next, heading for the opposite side. Riku and Xion made their way up to the cliffs, looking for the stairway up.

"Finally you idiots make a move. I thought that I would have to start the fight." Arton smirked, and slid one leg back. "Come on, then. Give me what you have left. Let's see how badly you lose this time."

"Yeah right! Just watch, you're going to kick your ass this time. Arton!" Roxas slid right then, using his Keyblade, shot the other way, causing Arton to twist around. Sora took the opportunity to slash at the man. He hissed, and turned back the other way. Roxas then swung his own blade and gave Arton another good hit.

"Ha! Two hits against my, what, ten on all of you? Try again fools!" Arton grinned manically and conjured up an ice wall to trip Roxas. Xion saw, and shot a ball of fire towards it, burning a hole through. Roxas slid neatly through the hole and disappeared from Arton's sight.

Riku found the staircase and ran up as fast as he could. Xion ran the other way, dodging a barrage of ice crystals. "Xion!"

"I'm fine; you just keep to the plan!" she yelled back. A crystal came close to her, and she smashed it to pieces. Xion then began to make her way back to the crystal wall. Roxas and Sora kept Arton busy by sliding in close at the same time. One of them always got a hit; then they both would back up, blocking against Arton's angry retaliation.

Xion made it to the wall, and began to go left, towards the sheer cliffs. If they could somehow herd Arton over to the cliffs, they could push him down into the crevice. Even a magician and Erzo blade user as good as he was would take some time to escape a crevice that deep.

Roxas saw what Xion was doing, and waved at Sora. "This way!" He ran behind Arton, and hid behind the cliff. Sora slid in behind him as Arton roared his fury. "Whoa, someone's pissed off. Majorly, too. Anyway, we gotta drive him towards the cliffs. If we can push him over then we don't have to worry about him for a while. Riku and Xion'll back us up."

"You think it'll work?" Sora asked, glancing at the angry man worriedly.

"Yeah. The others will be here soon, and they can help us." Roxas nodded and grinned. "Come on, it's our best shot at the moment for beating him."

"Alright." Sora stood, and cautiously looked around the corned of the cliff. He had to jumped back to avoid getting his head cut off by Arton's Erzo blade. "Damn! Retreat and run!"

Roxas ran all right; he shot towards Arton. "Roxas, no you idiot!" Riku yelled from atop the cliff. He was powerless to stop the boy as he charge.

"Fool!" Arton swung his blade up and out; Roxas blocked and went left. Arton followed, his blade singing as it cut through the frosty air. He blasted Roxas with magic. Once again the boy dodged, sliding right. This time Arton was ready; the Erzo blade sent Roxas skidding across the ice. He slammed into the ice.

"Heh, heh, heh." Arton stood over the panting boy. Roxas was clutching his side, and still managed to glare at the man. "Still got some fight in you, I see. Well, this ought to get rid of you once and for all." He raised his arm. Xion cried out, too far away to stop him in time. She ran forward, trying anyway when a portal opened right in front of her.

Just as the first person stepped out Arton was done charging his magic. Axel had to watch helplessly as Arton blasted Roxas with his giant blue fire-ice ball. Roxas flew up, then crashed onto the crystal wall. He lay there unmoving as Mickey, Kairi, Zexion and Lexaeus ran out of the portal. Oblivion flew up, the came crashing down as well. It, unlike any other weapon or magic spell, cut into the crystal. Oblivion began to glow as the rest of the wall began to crack.

"Roxas!" several voices called out as the entire wall shattered; the pieces fell into the unknown depths, along with the unconscious boy and several other dark lumps.


	25. thanks

Hello readers of _Letter of Faith. _This is officially the end of the story. I love you all for reading and reviewing my story. I would like to thank:

Nobody-XV for reviewing 14 times

Soraxkairifangirl for reviewing 1 time

NinjaSheik for reviewing 19 times

Codelyokofan 12345 for reviewing 1 time

And all the ones who read but didn't review. You're still loved.

I would've had this up yesterday but…well, I got revenge on my sis. I got a sword Saturday (not real sadly) and there really isn't much needed to be added. Don't worry, she is still alive...unfortunately.

Over the holiday break, three weeks yayness, I will be typing up the sequel. I will not post any chapters until after the break. So on Monday the…11th? I will post however many chapters I have written, whether it be twenty or two. Why? Because my family gets crazy during breaks. Five of us in one house and only one computer…

**HIPPIE GIRL SAYS: **LAST TIME. HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WINTER BREAK! HAPPY CHRISTMAS OR WHATEVER YOU CELEBRATE, IF YOU EVEN DO CELEBRATE. PEACE OUT!!


End file.
